|
"Nuclear proliferation and nuclear security
remain a serious threat in our neighbourhood,"
Manmohan Singh said, addressing the top security
brass of India at the combined commanders conference
of the army, navy, air force and coast guard here
Oct 11.
"Broadly speaking, the international strategic
and political environment has deteriorated from
our point of view. The policies we adopt, whether
internally or externally, must factor this in,"
he added.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Defence Minister
A.K. Antony, External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna
and Home Minister P. Chidambaram were also present
on the occasion, along with navy chief Admiral
Nirmal Verma, army chief General V.K. Singh and
air force chief Air Chief Marshal Norman Anil
Kumar Browne.
However, the prime minister did not mention Pakistan,
which is the other nuclear-weapon state in the
region along with India, though his references
were obviously aimed at the neighbour, which is
troubled with threats to its nuclear installations
from home-grown terror groups.
Despite serious conflicts, particularly after
the the December 2001 terror attack on parliament
and the November 2008 mayhem in Mumbai, the two
sides have not crossed nuclear threshold. However,
Pakistan's proliferation record is suspect and
has come under adverse notice globally.
The two sides are said to be holding close to
100 nuclear war heads each, as per the Stockholm-based
SIPRI's latest report.
Manmohan Singh also highlighted the cyber threats
as "emerging as a major source of worry"
to India's security installations, in an obvious
reference to reports of Chinese hackers breaching
top institutions, including the Defence Research
and Development Organisation (DRDO) and National
Security Council Secretariat in recent years.
He said India had a long history in fighting
terrorism, but "today terrorist groups are
highly networked, nimble footed and more lethal".
"This calls for appropriate responses.
Cyber threats are emerging as a major source of
worry. Cyber and information warfare could qualitatively
change the concept of a battlefield."
The prime minister also called upon the armed
forces to focus more on maritime security, and
on securing the coastline, the exclusive economic
zone, the island territories and the sea lanes
of communication.
Internally, he said, India should work assiduously
to address problems in the northeast and deal
with left-wing extremism in a comprehensive manner.
"We have to be sensitive to the needs of
the weaker sections of society and ensure that
the fruits of our progress reach them.
"Issues relating to the use of scarce resources
such as land and water and strengthening institutions
of governance require much closer attention than
they had received in the past," Manmohan
Singh added.
(IANS)
|
