Two months is too little time for a changed stance on a crucial subject. It was only in the last week of July that the UN report on terrorism warned that there is significant number of ISIS terrorists in Kerala and Karnataka.
UN report - looking back
The report further stated that the terror outfit Al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), has between 150-200 militant members from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Myanmar and is also planning to carry out attacks in the region.
The 26th report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team concerning the ISIS, the Al-Qaida and associated individuals and entities said that the AQIS operates under the Taliban umbrella from the Nimruz, Helmand and Kandahar provinces of Afghanistan. Apart from flagging the Islamic State threat, the report further mentioned that the AQIS group leader Osama Mahmood succeeded the late Asim Umar. The AQIS was reportedly planning retaliation operations in the region to avenge the death of its former leader. It further said that one member state reported that the ISIL Indian affiliate (Hind Wilayah), which was announced on May 10, 2019, had a member count of 180 to 200.
The reactions to the UN report have been no less underscored. Although even at the time, reportedly a few of the senior police offers from Jammy & Kashmir, Kerala and Karnataka rejected most of the claims in the report, but the media and government agencies choose to play up the matter disproportionately higher than the threat itself.
Status update - The GoI at the moment
However, there has been a major stepping back from the earlier ruckus over the UN report, with the Ministry Of Home Affairs, Government of India dismissing the UN report as, "factually incorrect."
In a written statement tabled in the Lok Sabha, Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy said the government was aware of the UN report titled the 26th report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team. He also said the government is aware of the presence of the terrorist outfits in the country including ISIS/Daesh, IS Khorasan, Lashkar-e-Toiba etc.
"National Investigation Agency has so far registered and investigated 34 cases related to the presence of Islamic State, and 20 cases related to the presence of Lashkar-e-Toiba across the country and arrested 160 and 80 accused persons respectively."
Replying to the question of whether the government has taken any action upon the acknowledgment of the report and whether the government has sought academic or strategic opinion on the matter, the minister further said the report was factually incorrect.
"However the said report claiming presence of 'significant numbers' of ISIS terrorists in Kerala and Karnataka, is factually not correct. The government continuously takes necessary measures to put forth India's correct position through established mechanism in unequivocal and categorical terms at various international, multilateral and bilateral for and also through diplomatic channels."
