Indian Parliament Introduces Bill to Create Anti-Terror Agency
By VOA News
17 December 2008
India's parliament is introducing legislation to create a national anti-terror agency resembling the United States' Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI.
Indian lawmakers also opened debate Wednesday on tougher anti-terrorism laws that include permitting police to hold suspects for up to 180 days, rather than the current 90 days.
The proposed laws would also allow a financial clampdown on suspected terrorists.
India's state security agencies came under severe scrutiny last month after failing to detect the attacks on Mumbai that killed more than 170 people.
The legislative debate comes one day after India said its peace process with Pakistan has been put on hold since the attacks.
Pakistan's foreign minister said Wednesday he regrets the halt and hopes relations between the two nations will recover.
Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said he is "confident that we will overcome this hiccup" and optimistic that dialogue will resume.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.
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