<p>Describing the security situation in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region as a “continuing cause of concern”, Defence Minister A K Antony on Monday called upon the top brass of the Indian Army to be vigilant and take steps keeping in view the latest terror attacks by the Taliban in Kabul.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Addressing the biannual Army commanders’ conference here, Antony said India remains steadfast in its commitment to provide support and assistance to Afghanistan so that it evolves into a stable country, strengthened by pluralism and free from external interference.<br /><br />Taliban militants on Sunday mounted a synchronised attack at key establishments in Kabul. The assault ended after 18 hours on Monday when all but one attacker were killed.<br /><br />Antony called upon the defence forces and all other security agencies to remain prepared to tackle the entire range of security challenges.<br /><br />“Balancing the imperatives of engaging globally with other powers and maintaining autonomy in decision-making, is one of the most important challenges of our times,” he said.<br /><br />Referring to sharp increase in the defence spending by China for the modernisation of its armed forces, Antony said: “On our part, we will continue to bolster our infrastructure and strengthen our capabilities along the border areas.”<br /><br />“However, our efforts are focused on safeguarding our security interests and not dictated by what other nations are doing,” he said.<br /><br />Describing the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir as stable, Antony said it was “a direct consequence” of the “untiring” efforts of the forces.<br /><br />He, however, said the peace process “is extremely fragile” and the armed forces need to operate with maximum restraint and control without dropping their guard.<br /><br />Turning to modernisation of the armed forces, an issue raised by Army chief Gen V K Singh in his March 12 letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Antony said the government’s endeavour has been to provide the desired impetus to arming the forces in a systematic manner.<br /><br />He assured the forces that the government would continue to improve and fine-tune procedures “whenever and wherever necessary” to ensure that the Army meets its modernisation goals in an acceptable time frame.<br /><br />Antony observed that the acquisition of critical technologies from foreign countries would no doubt get subjected to various technology denial regimes and post-procurement dependencies.<br /><br />“There is clearly an urgent need,” he said, “to achieve self-reliance in the field of critical defence equipment.”</p>
<p>Describing the security situation in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region as a “continuing cause of concern”, Defence Minister A K Antony on Monday called upon the top brass of the Indian Army to be vigilant and take steps keeping in view the latest terror attacks by the Taliban in Kabul.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Addressing the biannual Army commanders’ conference here, Antony said India remains steadfast in its commitment to provide support and assistance to Afghanistan so that it evolves into a stable country, strengthened by pluralism and free from external interference.<br /><br />Taliban militants on Sunday mounted a synchronised attack at key establishments in Kabul. The assault ended after 18 hours on Monday when all but one attacker were killed.<br /><br />Antony called upon the defence forces and all other security agencies to remain prepared to tackle the entire range of security challenges.<br /><br />“Balancing the imperatives of engaging globally with other powers and maintaining autonomy in decision-making, is one of the most important challenges of our times,” he said.<br /><br />Referring to sharp increase in the defence spending by China for the modernisation of its armed forces, Antony said: “On our part, we will continue to bolster our infrastructure and strengthen our capabilities along the border areas.”<br /><br />“However, our efforts are focused on safeguarding our security interests and not dictated by what other nations are doing,” he said.<br /><br />Describing the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir as stable, Antony said it was “a direct consequence” of the “untiring” efforts of the forces.<br /><br />He, however, said the peace process “is extremely fragile” and the armed forces need to operate with maximum restraint and control without dropping their guard.<br /><br />Turning to modernisation of the armed forces, an issue raised by Army chief Gen V K Singh in his March 12 letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Antony said the government’s endeavour has been to provide the desired impetus to arming the forces in a systematic manner.<br /><br />He assured the forces that the government would continue to improve and fine-tune procedures “whenever and wherever necessary” to ensure that the Army meets its modernisation goals in an acceptable time frame.<br /><br />Antony observed that the acquisition of critical technologies from foreign countries would no doubt get subjected to various technology denial regimes and post-procurement dependencies.<br /><br />“There is clearly an urgent need,” he said, “to achieve self-reliance in the field of critical defence equipment.”</p>
