NEW DELHI – Indian Army Chief General Bipin Rawat seek more militarycapabilities to counter security threat from neighbour Pakistan.
India has no extraterritorial ambitions and does not want to “transplant”its ideology on others, Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat has said, asserting thatthe country will fulfil its regional and global security obligations as aresponsible emerging power.
In an address to strategic affairs experts and defence personnel inMaldivian capital Male, Rawat also said instability in energy-rich WestAsia has the potential to significantly increase global tensions andtrigger unrest and that the tension between the US and Iran was”worrisome”, PTI has reported.
Without naming Pakistan, the Army Chief said Indian armed forces arecountering a proxy war in Jammu and Kashmir on a daily basis and that Indiareserves the right to acquire military capabilities to counter any securitythreats emanating from its neighbourhood.
The Army Chief, who is on a five-day visit to Maldives, held extensivetalks with the country’s top defence brass to expand bilateral militarycooperation. On Wednesday, Gen Rawat called on Maldivian President IbrahimMohamed Solih.
“Our strategic culture flows from two cardinals — we have noextraterritorial ambitions and no desire to transplant our ideology onothers,” the Army Chief said.
At the same time, he said India continues to retain its commitment tostrategic independence and autonomy in decision making as well as acquiringmilitary capabilities to counter the security threats and challengesemanating in its neighbourhood.
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“We seek to fulfil our regional and global security obligations, as aresponsible emerging power,” he said.
Gen Rawat identified “unending threat of terrorism” as the principalchallenge facing the entire world while calling proliferation of weapons ofmass destruction and increasing assertion of power over international normsas other key challenges.
“Instability in West Asia which affects energy security of majority of thenations in the world is another major factor. It has the potential to addsignificantly to global tensions and create unrest,” the Army Chief said.
Gen Rawat observed that the global security environment is increasinglybecoming complex and uncertain, and that many nations are increasinglyresorting to nationalism.
