Talks with Pakistan will become meaningful only if it takes the lead in disbanding the 42 terrorist camps operating on the border close to Jammu and Kashmir, Defence Minister A.K. Antony said on Saturday.
“Pakistan has not made any serious attempt to disband the camps. The decision on bilateral talks has been made consciously and it is not an ad hoc one. India is not a war-mongering nation and is keen on resolving outstanding issues through dialogue. Though there is no breakthrough, being a conscious decision, the process will continue.”
Mr. Antony was addressing journalists after inaugurating the new office complex of the Coast Guard station at Vizhinjam, near here.
On U.S. arms supply to Pakistan, Mr. Antony said Washington should ensure that the arms it supplied were deployed on the Af-Pak border and not targeted against India.
The Union Home Ministry and the Jammu and Kashmir government had evolved a formula to check infiltration and bring terrorists back into the mainstream. Many of them had surrendered. With the conditions becoming normal, tourist arrivals were picking up in Kashmir.
Terrorist attempts at infiltration were there but the armed forces were maintaining an eternal vigil on the border. Risking their life, even officers are taking the lead in fighting insurgency.”
Coordinated steps
Post-26/11, threat through the sea also increased, and a coordinated effort by the forces as well as the State government was being made to prevent such attacks. One of the positive aspects was that even fishermen had become alert and were tipping off the forces on any suspicious activity.
To a question, Mr. Antony said the government had no information of the Chinese aiding Maoists. The Army would not be deployed against the Maoists, but it would provide logistics support to the State police. Paramilitary forces would be used for training the police.
Army acquisitions during the past five years had increased considerably. The process for acquiring the Kiev class aircraft, Admiral Gorshkov, from Russia was in the final stage.
