WikiLeaks: Northeast terror not on India’s priority list

India did not accord priority to terror acts in its restive Northeast region and remained more focused on the Jihadis, according to the diplomatic cable sent by the US embassy in April 2006.

After the embarrassing Rahul Gandhi’s take on Hindu terror, this is the latest to cause discomfort to India from the stable of WikiLeaks published by The Guardian of the UK.

The cable dated April 18, 2006 says India is not concerned about terrorism in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, Tripura and Meghalaya since they cannot reach beyond their region.

According to the cables, India was less concerned with Northeast insurgency and Maoist terror.

“This variant of Indian terrorism, like Naxalism, attracts little attention from Delhi,” according to the cables.

“Terrorism in India’s northeast states consists of many groups — some of which maintain bases in Bangladesh,” the diplomatic cable said.

According to the cables, India felt the Northeast groups are small in number compared to other terrorist organizations in India, “and their reach does not extend out of the region.”

“Civilian deaths due to terrorism in the Northeast have been declining in recent years, according to Indian government data and a leading independent Indian terrorism expert,” said the cable.