India capable of securing its borders: Manohar Parrikar on Pakistan nuke threat

New Delhi: Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Thursday dismissed his Pakistani counterpart Khawaja Asif's statement on use of nuclear weapons, saying India is capable of securing its borders. "Answer to every question is not necessary. I am Defence Minister of India, not Pakistan. India is capable of securing its borders," he said.

The minister asked to comment on Asif's statement that use of nuclear weapons was an option as they were not kept merely for show but as deterrents. Asif had said in a television interview that if Pakistan needed to use nuclear weapons for "our survival, we will".

On China blocking a proposal for action by the UN against Pakistan on release of Mumbai attack mastermind Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, Parrikar said, "The matter is related to External Affairs Ministry and the Prime Minister." To a question on cross-border terrorism, the Defence Minister, who was here to inaugurate an orientation programme for newly-elected Cantonment Board Members, said, "It has come down."

The Defence Minister refused to comment on the possibility of Myanmar-like strikes in the future. "Such things are secret and cannot be shared," Parrikar said replying to a question on possibility of Myanmar-like strikes. Hitting back at rebels who had killed 18 soldiers in Manipur, special forces of the Army had carried out a surgical strike inside Myanmar last month. The strike was carried out by commandos on specific intelligence input in coordination with Myanmarese authorities.