New Delhi: BJP MP and former Home Secretary R K Singh today advocated covert strike to bring back fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim but said it would require a direction from the Prime Minister.
Arguing that Pakistan will “shamelessly” deny that Dawood is not there, Singh, in an interview to an English channel, said if he has to brought back, then “other methods” will have to be adopted.
He said “other groups” can be funded and trained to undertake an operation.Asked what was stopping Indian agencies to undertake such an operation, Singh said, “political determination and decision”.
“The Prime Minister and the Home Minister will have to tell their agencies that this has to be done. Then this will be done,” he said.
Pitching for a strong retaliatory action against terror attacks in the country originating from Pakistan, Singh said India has to become like Israel otherwise “people will keep hitting us and we will keep getting hurt”.
Asked if he meant the way US undertook an operation in Pakistan to kill Osama, he said, “not exactly but something similar”.
Singh's comments came just hours after Pakistan canceled the NSA-level talks with India. New Delhi was all set to present new evidence of Dawood's stay in the neighbouring country in the proposed meeting.
Singh hinted at the possibility of carrying out an operation in a third country. “Many people go outside Pakistan. That opportunity is there but our agencies need direction”.
He also talked about a botched operation to target Dawood. However, Singh made it clear that he cannot say it is confirmed and he does not have any evidence.
“A group was being trained to target Dawood but he had people in Mumbai police on his ‘pay roll' who were alerted. The Mumbai police came saying there is a warrant against them. But I cannot say it is confirmed. I have just heard...I don't have evidence,” he said.
The BJP leader strongly opposed talks with Pakistan saying that everyone in the world knows it is a “snake pit” which not only patronises terrorists “but also where terrorists are born”.
“Every time their credibility is down, they want to talk to India to show to come in parity with India. We should not allow that,” he said.
