NEW DELHI: The chief of Army Staff General V K Singh on Friday termed Pakistan and China as two major irritants for India’s security. Inaugurating a seminar on ‘Indian Army: Emerging Roles and Tasks’ in New Delhi, he said, the armed forces should ensure that the country has a substantial conventional war capability to fight in a nuclear scenario. He said, there is a problem of governance in Pakistan, where terror outfits receive support and it can have fallout in terms of how these things impact India.
He said, till the time the terrorist infrastructure remains intact on the other side, India has something to worry. He also referred to the threat posed by China which was rising both economically and militarily. General Singh said, although there is a very stable border, India cannot take chances as it has a border dispute with China. 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.
The 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.