Govt organs must realise limitations,strength of each other,says Pranab

With aftershocks of a bitter tussle between former Army chief General V K Singh and the political leadership still occasionally felt more than a year after the Generals retirement,Mukherjee said: In a democratic system like ours,various organs of the state must understand the strengths and limitations of each other. Political leadership and senior civil services officers must be conversant with the capabilities and limitations of the defence forces. Similarly,Armed Forces officers need to understand the limitations and constitutional framework under which political setup and civil services function. However,both of them should be aware of larger perspective of national security in order to take informed decision of vital importance.

He added that in a situation in which power equations in the global context are constantly changing,a country needs to stay ahead of developments taking place around it so as not to jeopardise its own security.

The astonishing pace at which events have unfolded in the recent past could not have been foreseen even a decade earlier. Each country is guided in its actions by its national interests and objectives. Power relationships are constantly changing and unless a country understands and adjusts itself to the changes that are taking place around it,its own security will be seriously endangered, he said.

The role of the armed forces,the President said,has expanded beyond traditional military matters with the revolution in military affairs and globalisation that will require a more integrated multi-state and multi-agency approach to resolve future conflicts.