Hard to justify 'self-restraint' if another 26/11 happens

From Gurdip Singh
Singapore, June 4 (PTI) India Saturday said it would
be hard to justify "self-restraint" in case of another 26/11
type of Mumbai attack on its territory.
"If the provocation is to happen again, I think it
would be hard to justify to our people such a self-restraint,"
as has been exercised following the 26/11 Mumbai attack,
Minster of State for Defence, M M Pallam Raju told an Asian
security conference here.
But "I hope that it will not be repeated," the
Minister said, pointing out that India had exercised great
self-restraint and "dealt in a very mature manner with the
government of Pakistan," following the 26/11 attack on Mumbai.
He said, India is engaged in extensive dialogues with
Pakistan relating to the attack.
"The international community is aware of the damning
evidence that has come out from David Headley's
interrogation," he told the Shangri-La Dialogue where Defence
Ministers from China, US, UK and top defence analysts were in
attendance.
"We have had an extensive engagement in trying to
bring the perpetrators to the book and have been continuing
dialogue at government level (with Pakistan)," he said.
Raju said, it was not only India but Pakistan which
had now become a victim to the machinations of the terrorists.
In his written speech, the Minister said, the spectrum
of terrorist challenges to India ranged from suicide bombers
to cyber hostility and New Delhi was developing capabilities
to deal with these.
To grapple with this, the Minister said, there was a
need for special equipment and special training and a
doctrinal shift from the previous pre-occupation with
conventional warfare alone. "This has implied the need for special equipment and
special equipment and special training and a doctrinal shift
from the previous pre-occupation with conventional warfare
alone," he said.
He also expressed concern about the possibility of
terrorists using weapons of mass destruction and highlighted
the need to build intelligence and interdiction capabilities
to detect and arrest such efforts by strengthening nuclear
security and preventing access to sensitive materials and
technologies.
He further highlighted the threats from piracy,
hijacking and drug money supporting syndicated crimes and
terrorist organizations.
Touching on cooperative approach towards common
security challenges, Raju pointed out that Asia's rising
military capabilities "need not lead to an Asian Arms Race".
"We could certainly reduce strategic uncertainty and
enhance mutual trust through transparency and responsible
state behavior," said the Minister of State.
He highlighted positive opportunities to enhance
regional military capability for regional and global goods,
especially for maritime security, countering common threats
such as piracy and terrorism, peacekeeping operations under
the United Nations umbrella.
Raju also called for a dialogue and negotiation
based approach in handling contentious issues like territorial
disputes and bilateral differences.
He underlined the need to support Asia's economic
growths with stable regional and international environment.
He said India supported all evolution of cooperative
relations in the Asian region.