in the aftermath of the elimination of Osama Bin Laden and told them to ‘ remain prepared for any eventualities’. Describing the US operations in Pakistan as ‘a watershed in the global war on terror’, Antony said the event has ‘internationally stamped’ Pakistan’s position as the core of terrorist activities in the region. Addressing the Unified Commanders Conference here, he said the ripples of this event will have wide ranging impact on strategic neighbourhood.
Antony said the security situation in Pakistan continues to be a cause for concern. He said despite supporting the war on terror, China continues to remain its main strategic partner. The Defence Minister said if any real progress is to be made in improving bilateral relations, Pakistan must take concrete action to dismantle terrorist infrastructure on its soil.
The two day annual conference was attended among others by the Minister of State for Defence Dr MM Pallam Raju, the Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal PV Naik, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Nirmal Verma, Chief of Army Staff Gen VK Singh and the Defence Secretary Shri Pradeep Kumar.
The Defence Minister said India has always desired friendly relation with all its neighbours. He said though we are not unduly concerned over China’s moves to modernize and upgrade its military capability, we must on our part, keep up the ongoing process of upgrading our military structure. He expressed the hope that progress will be made in discussion with China on border dispute.
Dwelling on the ground situation in Jammu & Kashmir shri Antony said it has shown improvement over the past few months. The violence level has declined and the political processes have come to the forefront, due in a large measure, to the sustained efforts of our security forces. He, however, said that the armed forces need to keep up the vigil to ensure that the levels of violence are kept to the minimum. ‘This calls for a lot of restraint and upholding the human rights of the local people, without compromising over all our preparedness to meet any evil designs’. Shri Antony said the summer months will be a crucial test of our response mechanism.
Referring to modernization in the armed forces Antony called upon the top brass to adopt a change in world view. “just as the old brick and morter economies have given way to the new economic architecture across the world, so too modernization of our armed forces must chart a new path. The thrust for modernization and change has to be necessarily top driven and that is where your role assumes a crucial significance”.