Pak, China two major irritants for India's security:Army Chief

New Delhi, Oct 15 (PTI) Describing Pakistan and China
as "two major irritants" for India's security, Indian Army
chief Gen V K Singh today said the armed forces should ensure
the country has a "substantial" conventional war capability to
fight in a nuclear scenario.
"We have two major irritants. One, there is a
problem of governance in Pakistan where terror outfits receive
support and where internal situation is not very good. And,
therefore, it can have a fallout in terms of how these things
impact India.
"Till the time the terrorist infrastructure remains
intact on the other side, we have something to worry," he said
inaugurating a seminar on 'Indian Army: Emerging Roles and
Tasks' here.
He also referred to the threat posed by China which
was rising both economically and militarily.
"Although we have a very stable border, yet we have a
border dispute. And, therefore, the intentions need to be
looked at along with this additional capability that is coming
out," he said.
The Army chief said, "It impacts the way we will task
our army and the role that we will give to it so that it can
do the task that the nation wants. So, with this, lets also
see what are some of the threats that we face or the
challenges that we have".
He said, "Even though we have a stable border with
China, we cannot take chances".
He told the seminar organised by Centre for Land
Warfare Studies (CLAWS), an Army-sponsored think tank, that an
all-out conventional war with China was "not not certain", but
skirmishes were "certainly possible."
"We must have a substantial conventional war-fighting
capabilities with the ability to fight in a nuclear scenario,"
he stressed.
Noting that India had no "extra-territorial
ambitions," the Army Chief said India needed to be watchful of
China's intentions in building up its military infrastructure.
Singh's remarks come close on the heels of Defence
Minister A K Antony stating that China was exhibiting
"assertiveness" in its military posturing in the region and
asked the armed forces to remain vigilant to counter any
threat.
Listing the future threats to India's national
security, Singh said the island territories were vulnerable
and these needed to be defended well.
He also talked about the coastal assets, both
military and infrastructural, that were critical for the
country's development and said securing them too was of
primary importance.
In this regard, he noted that India's peninsular
projection into the Indian Ocean had provided a gateway for
attacks and the country's subjugation in the past. MORE PTI
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