India is monitoring situation in Afghanistan, says Rajnath Singh

Defence minister Rajnath Singh has said that India is closely monitoring the security situation in Kabul and the government wants to ensure that nobody takes advantage of the crisis in Afghanistan to create cross-border terrorism in India. Addressing  the third Balramji Das Tandon memorial lecture organised by Punjab University at Chandigarh on the issue of national security through video conferencing on Monday, he said that several anti-India forces have attempted to create an atmosphere of instability in India since independence.

Singh said, a massive effort has been made in this direction from Pakistan’s soil, however, not Indian army and security forces have only faced every challenge but also retaliated them. He said, Pakistan always received befitting reply from Indian security forces on ceasefire violations. The Minister said, India and Pakistan agreed on ceasefire along LoC and New Delhi is in wait and watch mode because trust deficit is a big problem between two countries.

He said it is true that there has been a perceptional difference regarding the border with China and despite this, there are some agreements and protocols on that basis armies of the two countries conduct patrolling. He added that the last year’s controversy in eastern Ladakh had occured as the Chinese forces ignored the agreed protocols. He said India cannot allow the Chinese army to act on the LAC in a unilateral manner under any circumstances. Terming the bravery, valour and restraint shown by the Indian Army in the Galwan Valley as incomparable, he said, the future generations will also be proud of those brave soldiers. The Minister also said, several infrastructure projects are underway in Ladakh and North East and these projects are not just infrastructure projects but are an important part of the National Security Grid.