All instruments to be used to protect our sovereignty: President

India is a peace loving nation but it will use all instruments of national power including armed froces in order to protect our sovereignty, President Pranab Mukherjee said on Saturday.

"Any nation draws it strength from all elements of national power, and the capabilities of its armed forces are a major source of national power. Although we are a peace loving nation, we will use all instruments of national power in order to protect our sovereignty. I am confident that our brave soldiers will rise to the occasion, as they have done so in the past, to meet the challenges and emerge victorious," Mukherjee said after presenting Standard to Armoured Corps Centre and School at Ahmednagar district.

The President said that the Armoured Corps Centre and School completes 69 years of glorious service to the nation and armoured corps. "The heroes of Armoured Corps whom we read of in Battles of Zoji La Pass, Khem Karan, Asal Uttar, Chawinda - all got their basic and advanced training in this splendid establishment," he said. 

There is a famous saying that "It is the Men behind the Machine that matters most”, and it was proved time and again in all wars fought by India, that the superior training of our tank men enabled them to destroy our enemy in their sophisticated tanks, Mukherjee noted.

These victories would not have been ours, had the dedicated men of Armoured Corps Centre and School, which makes tankmen from boys, not done their task of training these heroes with utmost dedication and sincerity.

"It is due to the untiring and relentless hard work of the men of Armoured Corps Centre and School, that the establishment is deemed to be a "Centre of Excellence” in imparting quality training to the Indian Army," he said.