AGARTALA, November 8 (TIWN): The two day long national seminar on ‘National Security Issues: Northeast India Perspective’ was organized by Department of Defence Studies of Bir Bikram Memorial College (BBMC) college premises. The national seminar will continue till November 09.

Speaking to the media persons at BBMC conference hall head of the department of defence studies Tushar Bindu Chakraborty said that the objectives of the seminar are.

To extend an all out academic discussion on issues related to external security of Northeast India vis-à-vis India’s strategic relations with her neighbours and its impact on the security of the region keeping in view the treat perception and also challenges for India’s efforts through her Look East Policy and BIMSTEC.

To initiate a scope for discussion to examine the internal security problems of Northeast India with special reference to terrorism, insurgency and ethnicity, underdevelopment and unequal distribution of resources, constrains of transport and communication, migration – infiltration and rehabilitation, smuggling, drug and narcotics trafficking and border trade and also to develop fruitful suggestions to overcome those problems.

To emphasis on the identification of various nontraditional threats or non-military security issues of Northeast India like food security, health security, human rights and human security and women oppression and also environmental security and to find out possible remedies for those.

He further said that, national security is an overriding priority for all nations. National Security is a condition in which states consider that there is no danger of external military aggression, political pressure or economic coercion, so that they are able to pursue freely their own development and progress. Security consists not only of military aspect, but also political, economic, social, humanitarian and human rights and ecological aspects, he said.

The Northeastern Region has remained one of India’s soft under bellies. The external powers inimical to India have always taken a special interest in this region. The modus operandi of the external powers is to utilize the ethnic, religious and linguistic cleavages in the societies of the region. 

Since the region lies politically, economically and culturally at the extreme periphery, it has been considered as soft targets all along. Even if dismemberment is not possible, the purpose is, at least, to bleed Indian military machinery and her economy to the highest possible extent which will considerably weaken the Indian state, he mentioned.