India needs a separate Ministry for National Security says J&K Governor NN Vohra

Governor of J&K NN Vohra, said today that the country needs a Ministry for national security and a specialised cadre to deal with national security issues.

He was speaking at the R&AW headquarters, where he delivered an RN Kao Memorial lecture, in the memory of the founder of R&AW RN Kao.

NN Vohra was received by the R&AW Chief Anil Dhasmana and Special Secretary K. Elango delivered a vote of thanks to the guests.

Among those present were the chiefs of the Army General Bipin Rawat, Navy Chief Sunil Lanba, Deputy National Security Advisor Rajinder Khanna, and Director IB Rajiv Jain were also present.

Vohra said that “Under the auspices of an interstate council, PM can take the lead in ensuring states are on board for a national security strategy.” The lecture is the only time when the secretive external intelligence agency allows special invitees to its headquarters.

These are the key takeaways from the Kao memorial lecture.:

1. The first time I had the opportunity of meeting this elegant personality was when, immediately after the Sino-Indian conflict, I was inducted into the Special Services Bureau.
2. In the subsequent years, till Kao Sahib’s passing away, I had the opportunity of meeting him on a few occasions.
3. Among his (RN Kao) many attributes he spoke excellent Urdu and recited profound couplets.
4. Since Independence, our country has achieved considerable progress on varied fronts but we still have significant illiteracy and unemployment and a near one-fifth of our people subsist below the poverty line. Needless to say, the governance of India poses enormous challenges and safeguarding the country’s security is truly a colossal task.
5. However, it would be relevant to note that the States have the constitutional responsibility for the maintenance of Police and Public Order and are vested with powers to make all required laws and to take all necessary executive decisions for ensuring internal security within their jurisdictions. Insofar as the Union is concerned, it has the much larger responsibility of protecting the States against war and external aggression and internal disturbances.
6. I shall, instead, briefly comment on the major problems which emerged in the past and state that these have largely related to Pakistan’s continuing proxy war in Jammu and Kashmir; Jihadi terrorism which has continued to grow both in reach and spread in various parts of the country; the continuing violent activities of the Left Wing Extremist groups; and the still active insurgencies in the North East region. I will comment briefly on each of these threats.
7. The Pak ISI has been launching unceasing campaigns to spread radicalism and provide training, weapons, communication systems, funds and varied logistical support to enable its terror groups to infiltrate into Jammu and Kashmir and spread violence and chaos.
8. The Indian Mujahideen and other terrorist groups, based in Pakistan and several other neighbouring countries, have been continuing their endeavours to perpetrate terrorist violence in the country.
9. It needs to be noted that ever since the advent of terrorism in India, issues relating to the effective management of national security have emerged as perhaps the most crucial challenge faced by the Union.
10. The 8/11 incident in Mumbai, and the resulting enormous human and economic losses, sounded a clear warning that India’s existing security management apparatus is inadequate for countering terror attacks from across its land and sea frontiers or from across the skies.
11. In simple words, national security comprises all facets of external security, which relates to protecting the country’s territories against war and external aggression, and internal security which includes all matters relating to the maintenance of peace and public order across the length and breadth of the country
12. In my view, such a sectoral approach is erroneous and untenable. Any scope for segregating the management of issues relating to internal and external security was obliterated when Pakistan launched its proxy war in Jammu and Kashmir.
13. In the context of what I have so far stated, it needs to be recognized that our security concerns relate to innumerable targets and activities within our country and it would no longer do to merely focus on defending our frontiers.
14. At this juncture, it would be useful to pause and ask ourselves the question: in view of the security challenges faced in the past seven decades, has our country been able to evolve a comprehensive national policy and the required infrastructure to safeguard the nation on all fronts.
15. Based on my personal experiences in the past many years my answer to this question is that so far we have neither secured the required Union-State understandings nor developed a pan-India approach which would meet the requirements of a National Security Policy.