Afghan situation raises new security questions: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh

The current happenings in Afghanistan have raised new security questions Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said adding that the government is alert and no antinational force should be allowed to encourage terrorism from across the border by taking advantage of the situationHe also asserted the central government is capable of dealing with any situation He was addressing virtually the third Balramji Dass Tandon Memorial Lecture organised by Panjab University on the issue of national security What is happening in neighbouring Afghanistan is raising new questions in terms of security and our government is constantly monitoring the developments there Singh saidAlong with the security of Indians he said Our government also wants that antinational forces do not encourage terrorism from across the border by taking advantage of the development there We have some more concerns which can become challenges from the point of view of national security he addedThe Taliban took control of Afghanistan on August 15 capturing all major cities in a matter of days two weeks before the US was set to complete its troop withdrawal after a vexatious twodecade war Earlier this week an Islamic State suicide attack outside the Kabul airport killed over 180 people Singh said that the Narendra Modi government was alert and capable of dealing with any situationWe are always prepared to deal with threats arising from anywhere air water and land he said The defence minister laid stress on continuously upgrading and updating the national security system to face new challenges and said that some new threats have emerged because of the development of modern technologyHe referred to the dropping of two bombs using drone at the Jammu air force station earlier this yearWe have to continuously update and upgrade the national security system for new challenges said Singh He said the governments aim is to make the country prosperous strong and secure Such an India that does not scare anyone but develops a sense of security among small nations and that Indias growing power is not a threat to them he saidSingh also said that there was a trust deficit between India and Pakistan and the country needed to be vigilant of this fact from the point of view of national security Singh said Pakistan had understood that they would not make any gains from violations of ceasefire agreementsAn agreement was signed between the Director General Military Operations DGMO of India and Pakistan to maintain a ceasefire along the Line of Control in February this year he said We are also in wait and watch mode because the trust deficit between both the nations is a major problem he said adding that no ceasefire violation by the neighbouring nation has taken place ever since the agreement was signedPakistan understands that it is not in a position to do much in Kashmir especially after the nullification of Article 370 he said He said Pakistan had suffered defeats in the 1965 and 1971 wars and these defeats completely proved that it was not in a position to launch a fullscale war against India The minister said the inability to wage a direct war against India forced Pakistan to work on two policies on the one hand the neighbouring nation took steps towards finding an atomic way and on the other hand it started working on the policy of giving death by thousand cuts to IndiaPakistan had commenced a proxy war against India allowing their land for providing training to terrorists money and weapons to target India he said adding that after 1980s Pakistan had become the nursery of terrorism in the whole world On Jammu and Kashmir Singh said an effective action by Indian security forces to stop terrorism has been going on for the last seven years thereI believe that the remaining terrorism in Kashmir will also end I have this belief because the strength and oxygen that the separatist forces used to get there due to Articles 370 and 35A are over now said Singh He said the Modi government neither does politics nor allows it to happen on issues related to national security and added that a free hand has been given to the security forces in performing their dutiesHow high the confidence and morale of the army and security forces can be guessed from the fact that in the last seven years they have not allowed a single major terrorist incident in the hinterland of India he saidAlso Read Female students to study in separate classrooms TalibanIndia is not only taking action against terrorism within the borders of the country the brave soldiers of our army have done the work of destroying terrorist hideouts by crossing the border if needediquest he said referring to the surgical strike after the Uri terror attack and the Balakot airstrikes after the Pulwama attack Today we can say that Pakistansupported model of terrorism is getting demolished in India he saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its 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