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Centre to come out with white paper on ISI activities

The Centre has decided to shortly publish a white paper on ISI agents and their activities, and directed all state governments to arrest and deport about 11,000 Pakistani nationals, who were overstaying in various parts of the country, Union Minister of State for Home Ch Vidyasagar Rao said on Monday.

Addressing a press conference, he referred to the recent hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight 814 and stressed the need to prevent the recurrence of such incidents by taking necessary precautions. All the state governments have been asked to be alert, as any laxity might provide scope for the ''hijack of trains, buses and autos'', he added.

He said the entire world had appreciated the manner in which the Indian government had resolved the crisis, although there was some dissatisfaction in certain quarters in the country.

As part of tightening of security, the government had already embarked on fencing the border along with Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal as millions of ''infiltrators'' were entering India through the borders. He rued that despite the security agencies being alert about ISI infiltration and narcotics smuggling in Nepal, the hijacking incident had originated from that country.

He said as many as 2000 of 11,000 Pakistani nationals who were overstaying in the country had gone underground, and that efforts were on to trace and deport them. Only yesterday, 11 such overstaying Pakistani nationals were arrested in Nizamabad district of Andhra Pradesh, and the state government had been asked to immediately take steps for their deportation.

Vidyasagara Rao said the highest number of overstaying Pakistani nationals maybe in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. He said 19 such Pakistanis were in Andhra Pradesh.

He denied that there was any difference of opinion in the Union cabinet on the release of the three militants from jails in exchange for the passengers of Flight 814.

UNI

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