Defence ministry concerned as Pak beefs up armed forces

“Today, Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal is in military hands, unfettered by even the presence of the facade of civilian-political control in a polity that has always been dominated by the military”.

It said the military coup in Pakistan was likely to have far reaching implications to the security in the region. Its impact was already visible in the number of suicide squads of militants operating in Jammu and Kashmir.

Pakistan was consciously and noticeably emerging as the epicentre of Islamic fundamentalism, inducting Islamic Mujahideen into Afghanistan in the north and into Kashmir in the east.

The annual report said though Sri Lanka had remained politically non-aligned, the need for greater defence preparedness to counter the LTTE had brought Colombo closer to China.

Most of Sri Lanka’s military hardware had been supplied by China at comparatively lower prices.

While noting that Sino-Indian relationship had seen some positive trends, the annual report however noted that China had further improved her inter continental ballistic missile (ICBM) capability by test firing DF-31 and laboratory testing DF-41 missiles.

It said China was also building strategic relationships with some of India’s Bay of Bengal littoral neighbours by offering military aid and weapons at `friendship’ prices.

These developments along with China’s strategic partnership with Pakistan had security implications for the region.