‘If Media is Quiet About Attacks, Terrorism Will End’: NSA Doval

Quoting Margaret Thatcher, Doval said if terrorists take action and media is quiet about it, terrorism will end.

File image of NSA Ajit Doval.

(Photo: PTI)

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval said on Monday that the media is an integral organ while fighting terrorism, while addressing the chiefs of the Anti Terrorism Squads (ATS). He said that transparency should be maintained between agencies and the media and take them into confidence.

He said that when we (agencies) don’t give them information, they speculate, which, at times leads to more terror. Hence, he said, that perception management is also integral.

“As Margaret Thatcher said that if a terrorist takes action and the media is quite about it, terrorism will end,” Doval said.

“They (terrorists) do it for publicity, because then only you can terrorise people. If 10 people are killed somewhere and nobody comes to know about it, nobody is terrorised. Somebody’s son is kidnapped and killed, then a mother sitting 500 miles away is terrorised, could it happen to my son also? But if she doesn’t come to know about it, it doesn’t happen.”

Ajit Doval, National Security Advisor

He further said that the biggest hurdles in fighting terror is the lack of a central counter-terrorism agency and also that various agencies, like the Army, Intelligence Bureau, RAW and NIA, were not working in tandem.

He said that "physical action" against terrorists, "intelligence" gathering and investigation of terrorism cases were not in tandem with each other. He also said that the Centre lacks one single counter-terrorist agency that merges all three components.

“Happy that many states have ATS, STF and other special agencies that have a dual advantage. It has been my personal view that there could be one single counter-terrorist agency which could have all three components integrated and merged but that, for some reason, doesn’t happen.”

Ajit Doval, National Security Advisor

In the present context no country can afford to go for a war as the financial and human costs are huge and no one is sure about victory, he said.

"Pakistan has been using terrorism as the instrument of state policy," he said.

Terrorism is a low cost sustainable option which may damage enemies to a great extent, Doval said in a reference to Pakistan.