'This Attack Was Different'

Esteemed Chairperson UPA, respected colleagues and friends. I thank you all forbeing here at such short notice.

The ordeal at Mumbai, which occupied the attention of the entire nation, hasfinally come to an end. All of us share the grief of those who have lost theirloved ones in this dastardly and brutal attack and also the pain and anguish ofthose grievously wounded. We cannot lessen their grief. But we will do all wecan to alleviate their suffering. I give you my solemn assurance that we willlook after the needs of those who survive this horrible tragedy.

We salute the bravery of our security forces who fought the terrorists inexceptionally difficult circumstances. They tried their utmost to save innocentlives at great personal risk. Twenty officers and men made the ultimatesacrifice by laying down their lives. The entire nation owes a debt of gratitudeto these men that we can never repay.

We have had terrorist attacks before also. But this attack was different. It wasan attack by highly trained and well-armed terrorists targeting our largestcity. They came with the explicit aim of killing large numbers of innocentcivilians, including foreign visitors. They sought to destroy some of the bestknown symbols of our commercial capital.

We share the hurt of the people and their sense of anger and outrage. Severalmeasures are already in place to deal with the situation. But clearly much moreneeds to be done and we are determined to take all necessary measures tooverhaul the system.

We are further strengthening maritime and air security for which measures havebeen initiated. This will involve the Navy, the Coast Guard and the coastalpolice, as well as the Air Force and the Civil Aviation Ministry.

The anti-terrorist forces of the country will be further strengthened andstreamlined. The National Security Guard, which is the principal anti-terroristforce of the country, will be given additional facilities and the size of theforce is being augmented. Steps have also been initiated to establish another 4NSG hubs in different parts of the country. Additionally, the special forces atthe disposal of the Centre would be appropriately utilized in counter insurgencyoperations.

We have finalized a set of legal measures based on the recommendations of theAdministrative Reforms Commission which includes the setting up of a FederalInvestigating Agency.

In the face of this national threat and in the aftermath of this nationaltragedy, all of us from different political parties must rise above narrowpolitical considerations and stand united. We should work together in theinterest of the country at this critical juncture.

We should build a consensus on what needs to be done to strengthen the abilityof our system to meet these threats. The terrorists and enemies of our nationmust know that their actions unite rather than divide us.

I do hope that at the end of our discussions today we will be able to give ourcollective assurance to the nation that, across the political spectrum, we standtogether at this hour. I look forward to hearing the views of each one of you.