Antony asks forces to maintain operational readiness

New Delhi, May 25 (PTI) Against the backdrop of terror
attack on a Karachi naval base, Defence Minister A K Antony
Wednesday asked the forces to maintain operational readiness
as India is living in a "volatile neighbourhood".
He said India was concerned, particularly with regard
to the safety of nuclear arsenal in Pakistan.
"Naturally it (nuclear arsenal) is a concern not only
for us but for everybody," Antony told reporters here after
addressing a conference of the naval top brass. He was asked
if India was worried about the safety of Pakistan's nuclear
weapons in the wake of the terror strike.
"The challenges of the Indian Ocean Rim (IOR) and the
volatile neighbourhood we live in, make it imperative for us
to maintain operational readiness at all times," Antony told
the Naval Commanders' Conference.
He said, "Recent incidents in our neighbourhood have
strongly underlined the need to maintain constant vigil. The
Navy needs to take stock of the level of operational
preparedness from time to time."
The Conference was attended by navy chief Admiral
Nirmal Verma, Defence Secretary Pradeep Kumar and senior navy
and Defence Ministry officials.
The top naval commanders briefed the Defence Minister
on the operational preparedness and the role the force is
playing in securing maritime interests of the nation.
Describing piracy in Indian Ocean as a continuing
cause of major concern, Antony said, "The menace (of piracy)
needs a concerted effort and a collective response from the
international community."
Giving the assurance that the force would continue to
work with the navies operating in Gulf of Aden, he ruled out
India becoming member of any multilateral grouping unless it
was under the mandate of United Nations (UN).
Referring to the terror strike in Karachi, Antony
said, "Our services are taking all precautions and are ready
round-the-clock. But, at the same time, we don't want to
overreact.
"Developments in Pakistan, specially in Karachi, are a
matter of serious concern to us. We are closely monitoring the
situation and are taking precautions also. We are concerned
about the developments," he said.
"I can assure you that all the three services are
taking necessary precautions and we are closely monitoring the
situation. But, at the same time, we thought we must avoid
reacting publicly," he said.
The Defence Minister said, "Not only because of the
situation in Pakistan, we are also always on the radar of the
terrorists. It is not a new thing, and so our security forces
are ever vigilant."
On strengthening coordination among security agencies
responsible for coastal security, Antony said they should
adopt a more collaborative and cooperative approach.
Asking the navy and the coast guards to draw a long-
term strategic plan to enhance the security of Andaman and
Nicobar, Lakshadweep and Minicoy Islands, he said that the
coastal security is inextricably linked to the security of
island territories.
He also said government has approved the plan to set
up forward naval bases at Tuticorin, Kamarta, Diglipur,
Campbell Bay and Paradweep.
On the controversy surrounding army chief General V K
Singh's date of birth, he said, "Government had sent a request
to Attorney General through the Law Ministry. I can tell you
that the AG has sent his opinion through the Law Minister and
the Law Secretary." He said no public controversy should be
made out of the issues concerned with the armed forces.