IB chief blames Pak for Uri terror attack

New Delhi, Sept 22: A top intelligence officer today blamed Pakistan for the terror attack in Uri, saying this was just one of the scores of such dastardly acts which originated from across the border in last few decades.

Director of Intelligence Bureau Dineshwar Sharma said the whole country was highly agitated over the terror strike in Uri in Jammu and Kashmir in which 18 soldiers were killed and an equal number were battling for their lives.

"This incident is only one in a series of such dastardly acts during the last few decades for which planning, financing, training, arming and indoctrination on religious lines owe their origins to sources beyond the borders of India," he said at a conference of top security experts from South Asian countries.

The second Meeting of the High Level Group of Eminent Experts to strengthen the SAARC Anti-Terrorism Mechanism was attended by intelligence chiefs of Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, the Maldives, besides India.

Director General of Intelligence Bureau of Pakistan Aftab Sultan did not attend the meeting amidst the ongoing hostility between India and Pakistan over terror attack in Uri.

Sharma asked the SAARC nations to strictly enforce internationally mandated sanctions against terrorist entities and individuals. The IB Director said the terrorist organisations use easily accessible technology to attack both soft and hard targets.

"Self-radicalisation over internet and social media, and spread of influence of Islamic State all over, including in our country, has added new dimensions to the threat," he said.

He identified countering financing of terrorism as one of the most important tools to fight the terror menace. Sharma said cyberspace has become an important area for radicalisation and spread of jihadi materials.

The problem of fake currency feeds into supporting terrorism and can create economic destabilisation in South Asia, he said.

PTI