China, Pak irritants to Indias security: Indian Army Chief
Describing Pakistan and China as "two major irritants" for India's security, Army chief Gen V K Singh Friday said the armed forces should ensure the country has a "substantial" conventional war capability to fight in a nuclear scenario.
"We have two major irritants. One, there is a problem of governance in Pakistan where terror outfits receive support and where internal situation is not very good. And, therefore, it can have a fallout in terms of how these things impact India, reported PTI.
"Till the time the terrorist infrastructure remains intact on the other side, we have something to worry," he said inaugurating a seminar on 'Indian Army: Emerging Roles and Tasks' here.
He also referred to the threat posed by China which was rising both economically and militarily.
"Although we have a very stable border, yet we have a border dispute. And, therefore, the intentions need to be looked at along with this additional capability that is coming out," he said.
The Army chief said, "It impacts the way we will task our army and the role that we will give to it so that it can do the task that the nation wants. So, with this, lets also see what are some of the threats that we face or the challenges that we have".
He said, "Even though we have a stable border with China, we cannot take chances". He told the seminar organised by Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS), an Army-sponsored think tank, that an all-out conventional war with China was "not not certain", but skirmishes were "certainly possible."
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We must have a substantial conventional war-fighting capabilities with the ability to fight in a nuclear scenario," he stressed.
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.