Chennai: India had no intention of carrying out "surgical strikes" in Pakistan if another terror attack emanated from that country as it did not believe in a tit-for-tat policy, a top defence official said on Thursday.
"We are a nation which does not believe in doing tit for tat. Our complete policy with respect to development as well as security is purely from the defensive point of view.
We do not subscribe to aggression," Adviser to Defence Ministry, VK Saraswat, said.
He was responding to reporters` queries on leaked US cables on whistle-blower website Wikileaks in which officials had, among other things, talked about India`s `Coldstart`, a
plan to attack Pakistan without provoking a nuclear response.
"We do not subscribe to aggression. Even during the 26/11 (terror attacks on Mumbai), despite such a kind of a provocation our country has taken a very matured view," he
said.
He said any fear that India will go for any surgical strike was the "imagination of people."
On fears of nuclear material falling into the hands of terrorists in Pakistan, Saraswat said the issue of safety of nuclear assets has always been an international issue.
He said all nations should make efforts to ensure that there was a "robust system" of storing, distribution, transportation of nuclear material and ensuring that it does
not fall in the wrong hands.
"To that extent, there is a message, not just for Pakistan, but all nations that besides developing nuclear technology, the security of the nuclear material and assets,
both in respect of radiation and pure usage, have to be taken care of," he said.
The Indian nuclear establishment boasted of such a robust and secure method, he said.
"So we are very confident that in our system, in our way of doing things, nothing can go into the wrong hands," he said on the sidelines of a supplementary convocation of the
Satybama University here.
India should step into the area of UAVs
Military aviation is going through a "sea change" globally and India should step into the area of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to gain advantage, Saraswat said.
"UAVs, like robots, compete best for those jobs that are repetitive, hard and dangerous. They offer great advantage in terms of higher endurance, deeper penetration and more
flexibility," Adviser to Defence Ministry VK Saraswat said.
India should take a cue from usage of drones (by US army) in Afghanistan (in its fight against the Taliban), he said.
"We have already seen the extensive usage of drones in Afghanistan and India should step into this area to gain advantage from the development of sensors, integration with
the networks and evolving possible engagement scenarios through simulation," he said.
Usage of advanced materials with mirco electronics has seen new generation micro air vehicles being put to use, he said in his address at the supplementary convocation of the
Satyabama University here.
PTI
