Pakistan trying to match India's missile programmes: Former Army chief Deepak Kapoor
New Delhi: Pakistan is getting pressurised by India’s successful missile programmes and is trying to match its neighbour’s nuclear infrastructure by resorting to propaganda on missile systems, said former army chief General (Retd.) Deepak Kapoor on Tuesday.
In an exclusive interview to ANI, Kapoor stated that Pakistan is desperately trying to match India’s nuclear triad, comprising of land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), strategic bombers, and submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs).
Pakistan on Monday claimed to have successfully test-fired its first Submarine-Launched Cruise Missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead up to 450km from an undisclosed location in the Indian Ocean, giving the country a “credible” second-strike capability.
“Pakistan is seeing our Missile programmes getting successful. It is building pressure on elements like ISI and they are resorting to propaganda on missile is highly possible. After all India has got close to triad and they are trying to match us in it, even if by doing propaganda,” he said.
Backing Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti who accused Pakistan of conspiring to create unrest after the death of Hizbul Mujahideen Commander Burhan Wani, the 23rd chief of army said, “First time she has made such well thought statement. There was never a doubt that Pakistan through the separatists in Kashmir has been giving directions on terrorist operations.” He said the problem of terrorism has been following a cycle since 1989 where at times collateral damages happen if a civilian is killed by mistake, and the issue is used to further incite disturbance in the valley.
However, General Kapoor said, “Burhan Wani incident has been used to create further disturbance. Army will not let this go long and will soon control it.” Shifting his focus on the modernisation of weapons of armed forces, General Kapoor opined that the equipments are reaching obsolescence, faster than those which are replacing them.
In order to modernise its weapon systems, he said, India needs to spend its defence budget more than that of China and other developed countries.
“The most of the developed countries are committing around 3 percent of their GDP whereas in India we have spent less than 2 percent as an average in the last 10 years. It comes to meeting only about 2/3 of the requirements projected and this is at the time when we have our two adversaries, China and Pakistan, colluding. China alone has its defence budget pegged at about 130 Billion Dollars,” General Kapoor said.
Responding to a poser on contribution of ‘Make in India’ initiative in manufacturing defence equipments, General Kapoor said, “Make in India is yet to pick up, imports are getting costly and finally this is affecting modernisation which leading to hollowness. We have a capable Army but with old equipment.”
General Deepak Kapoor was the 23rd Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army, appointed on September 30, 2007 and Chairman, Chiefs of Staffs Committee (COSC) appointed on August 31, 2009.
