Indian Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh says prepared to thwart Pakistani terror group JeM`s `underwater` attack

A group of Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohommad (JeM) is training for an underwater attack against India, however, Indian forces is fully prepared and will not let their plans succeed, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Karambir Singh said on Monday.

Pune: Indian Navy is prepared and geared up to tackle any terror threat including the nefarious design by Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) to launch an underwater attack on the country. JeM terrorists are training for an underwater attack against India but the defence forces will not let their plans succeed, said Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Karambir Singh on Monday in Pune.

"We have received intelligence that the underwater wing of Jaish-e-Mohammad is being trained for attacks. We are keeping track of it and can give an assurance that we are fully alert to foil any such design," Admiral Singh told ANI.

Speaking at General BC Joshi Memorial lecture programme at Savitribai Phule Pune University in Maharashtra, the Navy chief highlighted the challenges faced by his force in ensuring India's maritime security and assured that coastal security personnel will not allow any intrusion. Confirming intelligence input which indicated the presence of six members of the Lashkar-e-Taiba who had intruded into Tamil Nadu, Admiral Singh said that all six have been arrested and are currently being interrogated by the authorities.

JeM, the Pakistani sponsored and trained group, had carried out the suicide terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama on February 14, 2019, killing 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel in it. Indian Air Force had retaliated to the attack on February 26 by bombing JeM terror camps in Pakistan's Balakot.

Speaking on China's increasing presence in the Indian ocean region, Admiral Singh said that the Navy has kept a vigil on the Chinese movement and will be ready to initiate action if national security is threatened.

Mentioning the deadly 26/11 Mumbai attacks for which the Pakistani terrorists had entered Mumbai using the sea route in November 2008, Admiral Singh said that the overall maritime security has been enhanced manifolds to prevent any such incident in the future.

The 2008 Mumbai attacks were carried out by another Pakistani terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), who sneaked into Mumbai through a sea route and launched a series of attacks which claimed the lives of over 160 people.

Admiral Singh was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a lecture, titled 'Indian Ocean — Changing Dynamic — Maritime Security Imperatives for India', which is part of a series held in the memory of the late Indian Army chief General BC Joshi.