Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Sunil Lanba on Tuesday said that they have information that terrorists are being trained to conduct attacks on India, including via sea. He was speaking at the Indo-Pacific regional dialogue event organised by the Navy and the National Maritime Foundation.

Lanba mentioned the Pulwama terror attack on February 14 that killed 40 Central Reserve Police Force personnel, and called on the international community to collaborate to crack down on terrorism in all forms. “We have seen how quickly terrorist groups evolve across the globe and this particular ‘brand’ of terror may well become a global problem in the near future,” Lanba said. “The Indian security establishment is continuously working to address this menace.”

The Indian Navy chief said the future of the Indo-Pacific region is dependent on the “shifting plates” of international politics. “A unique blend of strategised financial aid, creeping territorial accretion, information on operations, legal ambiguity and military assertiveness is being wielded by aspiring great powers to establish regional dominance,” Lanba said. “This is putting the region’s historically delicate stability under renewed pressure.”

At least 166 people, including six Americans, were killed in the Mumbai 26/11 attacks carried out by 10 Lashkar-e-Taiba militants who had entered the country via the sea. While Indian security forces killed nine of the attackers, Ajmal Kasab was captured alive, and hanged in 2012 following a Supreme Court verdict.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Navy on Tuesday claimed it had detected an Indian submarine trying to enter its territorial waters and successfully thwarted the attempt, Dawn reported, quoting the Navy’s spokesperson.