Author: Express news service
Publication: The Indian Express
Date: September 2, 2009
URL: http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Rising-Pak-nuke-stockpile-a-matter-of-concern-Army-Chief/511181/
Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor said on Wednesday
that increase in Pakistan's atomic weapons stockpile, if true, was a cause
for concern for India. "There is a degree of deterrence for one's protection,
but this is beyond that. They are going well beyond what can be called 'deterrence',"
said Kapoor, while addressing media persons on the sidelines his visit to
Pune's Artificial Limb Centre and the Armed Forces Medical College.
"If these reports are true then, it is
definitely a matter of concern for us," he said. On Tuesday, reports
quoted an American scientist saying that Pakistan has amassed a stockpile
of 70-90 nuclear warheads, up from its previous known figure of 60.
On repeated Chinese incursions along the Indian
border, Kapoor said it was a difference of perception on both sides about
the actual line of control and not a cause for alarm. "The solution lies
in resolving the border issue," he said. "It is perceived by us
as incursion. We also patrol up to what we think is the border, which might
be perceived differently on their side," he said. Kapoor, however, did
not comment on the Chinese denial that it had not violated the line of control.
Kapoor also said that the numbers of these
'incursions' had remained more or less the same as compared to the same period
last year, 20 in June, 21 in July and 24 in August. "It is not a cause
for alarm. We have regular border meetings, where such questions are raised,"
Kapoor said.