Pitching for the National Intelligence Grid (Natgrid) in the face of embarrassment caused to the government over the faulty inclusion of terror accused Wazhul Kamar Khan in the list of most wanted fugitives given to Pakistan, home minister P. Chidambaram on Wednesday said that he would like to believe that the establishment of the national database for counter-terrorism efforts would help the security establishment.
The Natgrid proposal, floated by the MHA, is pending the clearance of the Cabinet Committee on Security chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Sources disclosed that the clearance is pending for four months now mostly due to privacy concerns.
Government sources said that in the face of the delay, the Natgrid CEO Raghu Raman, who was to demit office on May 31, is getting an extension of his term for six months. However, a formal announcement is yet to made by the government. Mr Raman on Tuesday told this newspaper that all internal deadlines laid down by the government have been completed. “The mandate given to us so far has been fulfilled,” he had said.
When asked whether the formation of the Natgrid could help avert errors by security agencies, Mr Chidambaram said, “It is an interesting speculation.”