National Security Adviser Ajit Doval on Saturday said India has to be prepared for a two-front war and build deterrence that ensures conflict is not an option for its adversaries.
Speaking at the Hindustan Times leadership Summit, Doval told a packed audience of policy-makers, diplomats and industrialist, “India has two neighbours, both nuclear powers (which) share a strategic relationship and a shared adversarial view of India,” Doval told a packed audience of policy-makers, diplomats and industrialists.
Doval also expressed concern at Pakistan’s continued use of terrorism as a part of its foreign policy.” Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) can bleed India but it cannot degrade a strong civilisational nation like us,” he said.Doval also said the Government had received reports of Chinese personnel working in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) to build infrastructure and New Delhi had expressed concern to Beijing and Islamabad.
The NSA stressed that the Government needs to take strategic view and congnisance of the ongoing activities by China and Pakistan in the PoK and be prepared for possible consequences.“We have got to see its consequences particularly if it is passing through areas which are in PoK which is close to our border and actually that is our own territory. We should take it up and I think we have taken it up from time to time with China and Pakistan.
However, he expressed optimism that India had been able to engage both countries and “economic inter-dependence” can prove to be a framework to build peace in South Asia.“Economic development is the best way to ensure security and 9 per cent growth will make us totally secure,” Doval said. “A strong economy is the surest means of protecting the country and creates vested interests which will ensure India’s protection.”
He said the economic growth will also mean that there will be spare-able surplus for providing resources for defence forces, upgrading police forces, its technological development, for research and development works because of available funds and resources available.Doval is a former Intelligence Bureau director who provided key background for the PM’s trips to the US, Australia, Myanmar and Fiji and the engagement with South Asia.
“In a changing world order India is engaging powers who have conflicting views. So we engage China and Japan as well as Russia and the United States.”On the issue of ISIS and al-Qaeda, he said not a single Muslim religious leader has supported ISIS which is a strong point of India.