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ISI planning to disrupt election

Union Home Secretary Kamal Pandey today said Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence is planning to disrupt the general election.

Pandey told reporters in Guwahati during a whirlwind tour of Assam to review the state's electoral preparedness that the ISI is planning to eliminate senior politicians.

He said security forces in Punjab had already unearthed an ISI plot to eliminate Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Union Home Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani and Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

He admitted that the ISI is posing a big threat to the election, but claimed that all measures have been taken to thwart its plans.

Pandey's visit to Assam along with Joint Secretary (North-East) G K Pillai assumed greater significance following the arrest of four ISI agents in the state and the haul of 30 kilos of RDX smuggled in from Bangladesh.

Regarding the North-East, specially Assam, he promised more forces to maintain law and order during the election. "The Assam government has sought additional forces for the election as well as general law and order. We are working for it. We are providing force, intelligence and money for modernisation, but it is the police which has to do the job," Pandey said.

The home secretary, however, expressed satisfaction with the security arrangements in the state. "I am happy, but regarding additional forces, we too have limitations, we are trying," he said.

Later, state Director General of Police P V Sumant said the state government had asked for forces, specially for lower Assam, but refrained from stating the exact number of companies for security reasons.

Pandey emphasised the need to take special measures in lower Assam to ensure that violence does not escalate in those areas in the immediate future.

Later, explaining the position, Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, who was called upon by the home secretary, said that in the last fortnight there were acts of sabotage and violence in lower Assam and hence special emphasis was given to the region.

"The ISI-backed militants are targeting communication, major infrastructure and oil installations. They are basically targeting the installations to cut off the area," said Mahanta. He, however, asserted that the situation is well under control.

UNI

ALSO SEE:
'J&K police betraying IB officials'
Kerala police bust ISI-backed extremist group

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