India's quest for peace not its weakness: Antony

[FOX80]

India's quest for peace should not be mistaken for its weakness, defence minister A K Antony said on Saturday.

"We are a peace-loving nation but our quest for peace should not be mistaken for our weakness," he said.

The defence minister was speaking at the passing out parade of the Indian Military Academy, which saw a total of 688 cadets passing out of the prestigious institution to join the ranks of the militaries of their respective countries.

"History is witness to the fact that whenever there has been trouble along its borders, Indian soldiers renowned for their ability to deliver in times of crisis have shown exemplary valour to ensure the safety of the country," he said.

He said the country can never forget the valour displayed by the armed forces in the massive evacuation exercise carried out in wake of the natural calamity that struck Uttarakhand in June this year.

Asking the cadets to draw lessons from the sacrifices made by members of the armed forces during the rescue operations in Uttarakhand, the minister said they should be proud of the high standards of training received at the academy and should dedicate their lives to the service of the nation.

"Remember that the uniform you wear is not just a uniform, but a way of life in which safety and welfare of the nation comes first," he said and asked the cadets to be ready to deal with both conventional and unconventional challenges which they might face during their careers.

A total of 688 cadets, including 71 from friendly countries like Nepal, Bhutan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Maldives, today passed out of the esteemed institution to join the ranks of their respective armies.

The highest number of 61 cadets is from Uttar Pradesh, followed by Haryana with 47 and Uttarakhand with 34.

Antony later honoured the distinguished cadets, giving away the coveted Sword of Honour to Academy Under Officer Akshat Joshi and the gold medal to Battalion Under Officer Kamlesh Mani.

 

[ptltejas]

Oh yes go on battlefield with guns and speak loudly, this weapons are not to fire, they are only to threat, we like the peace............. Absurd..

 

[sancho]

Oh yes go on battlefield with guns and speak loudly, this weapons are not to fire, they are only to threat, we like the peace............. Absurd..

Not really, India has shown often enough, that there are better ways than what the US or today China is doing with their military might and to deal with problems. That doesn't mean we should not focus on our defence capabilities, or that we shouldn't be prepared for the worst case, but thinking first and then react should be the prime aim, while using force should be the last choic.
Deterrence is one thing, being smart enough to use the force at the right place and time the more important one!

 

[Abingdonboy]

Of course India's quest for peace should not inherently be its weakness. BUT, it depends on how oyu go about this peace. If you sit back and allow yourself to be walked over then clearly that is weakness. If you strive for peace by actively and proactively improving your security situation then you couldn't describe your quest for peace as being a weakness. India needs to find the balance but the leadership needs to wake the f**k up, abandon their Nehruvian pacifist mindsets and get aggressive.

 

[walle990]

stupid indian politicans still doesn't realise that peace is earned.

 

[Umair Nawaz]

When was the last time India really wanted peace?

They r always warmongering.
This Guy seems to be living under a Shadow of Dream....Bharat Matta.

 

[RPK]

PASSING OUT PARADE : IMA

617 Gentlemen Cadets and 71 Foreign Gentlemen Cadets from friendly foreign countries passed out from the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun on 14 Dec 2013. The Gentlemen Cadets displayed tremendous enthusiasm, vigour and zeal, putting up an excellent parade before the Reviewing Officer (RO), Hon’ble Defence Minister, Shri AK Antony, and The COAS General Bikram Singh. The parade marched to the tunes of `Col Bogey’ and `Sare Jahan Se Achha’.
The Sword of Honour for overall best performance amongst the Passing Out Course was awarded to Akshat Joshi and the Gold Medal for standing First in the overall Order of Merit was awarded to Kamlesh Mani.