NEW DELHI: Cross-domain character of India’s security challenges came up for detailed discussions at the India International Centre here on Saturday with former Jammu and Kashmir Governor NN Vohra calling for a comprehensive national security policy and Ministry of Home Affairs reforms for it to exclusively focus on internal security. Perhaps MHA could be renamed the Ministry of Internal Security, he said.
Vohra, who served as both Union Defence Secretary and Union Home Secretary during his days in the IAS, further demanded declassification of military histories, including the Henderson Brooks-Bhagat report that conducted a review of the Indian Army’s operation during the Sino-Indian War of 1962.
He recalled then Defence Minister George Fernandes seeking a solution to the vexed issue of war histories and that he, as part of the relevant committee, had recommended publication of key war histories. That did not happen. Although the compilation of war histories of the 1962, 1965 and 1971 operations by the Indian armed forces are commissioned works undertaken by historians at the instance of the History Division of the Ministry of Defence, publication of these documents remains obstructed. “We must publish these documents for the benefit of the people,” Vohra said today.
He also argued for a “comprehensive, lucid, well-considered, apolitical, bipartisan national security policy that would provide a basis for India’s internal security doctrine, military doctrine and the joint war-fighting doctrine”.
Security-related institutions should be held accountable within the framework of this policy, the former Governor said during discussions on the book, ‘India’s National Security Challenges’, which he has edited.
Released last year, the book has 10 chapters, each authored by leaders in the strategic and military sectors and each delineating the way forward.
At the event chaired by IIC President Shyam Saran, discussants, including former Special Secretary in the Cabinet Secretariat Rana Banerji and writers C Raja Mohan and Indrani Bagchi stressed the importance of some degree of accountability of security-related organisations with Banerji calling for parliamentary oversight of intelligence agencies. Banerji was himself associated with the R&AW during his service.
Vohra, who was a member of the first National Security Advisory Board and later Chairman of the National Task Force in Internal Security, further recommended comprehensive reforms of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
He flagged rampant dependence of state governments on the MHA and central forces to maintain public order and said MHA as a ministry required reforms so that it is denuded of miscellaneous responsibilities and focused entirely on internal security, peace and normalcy.
“Perhaps the MHA can be renamed the Ministry for Internal Security Affairs,” Vohra suggested, adding that the MHA must dedicate itself 24×7, 365 days to internal security affairs which were intrinsically linked with external security.
Pointing to the diverse Indian society replete with multiple languages, faiths and cultures, Vohra said inherent contrariness can take the shape of a conflict if not handled with sensitive governance.
He advised against one size fits all solutions drafted from Delhi and suggested cohesion between the Union and states governments on the national security policy.
“This policy is not new or unknown. It has been debated for years…at a recent event the Chief of Defence Staff, answering my question, had said something is in the making…,” said the former Governor recalling the first draft of the policy that came up under the late PM Atal Behari Vajpayee.
On internal and external security challenges, Vohra flagged new-age threats, including unseen, unknown enemies with capacities to neutralise national defence and economic capabilities in an instance.
“Apart from growing threats on the frontiers (western border with Pakistan and the LAC) and homeland problems, we must prepare for new threats, drones, AI. We cannot sit idle. These unseen and unknown enemies can cause more damage than physical wars,” warned the former Governor.
He added that the national security policy must encompass a whole gamut of domains — food and water security to economic, science and technology security. Vohra also flagged highly inadequate defence budgets over the recent years and said, “Defence funding needs sustenance and continuity.”