The Chief of air staff, Air Chief Marshal S: K Kaul, on Nov.26 emphasized that china posed a   Primary Strategic challenge to India in the long term notwithstanding the recently signed LAC agreement.

Stressing the need to develop a Sound strategy to meet this “formidable challenge,” the air chief observed that China had emerged as the most powerful military nation which with its high rate of Economic growth and sustained Military program had drastically altered the military balance in Asia, “India is thus placed with two, twin contrasting security dilemmas. On the one hand, the probability of an armed conflict with China has been reduced in the short term, butin the long term, by 2005, the threat (from China) will be of a different magnitude altogether,” he said.

Delivering valedictory address at the end of the two day seminar on Challenges to India’s national interest in 19952010 and Indian Response’ organized by the United Services Institute, Air Chief Marshal Kaul reflected on the double Standards of the US foreign policy, the collapse of and betrayal by Russia, the unabated low cost proxy war by Pakistan, the grim internal security situation and the poor quality of the Indian polity and pointed out how all these factors had a dangerous bearing on India’s future national security interests. The air chief went on to strongly advocate India’s need for enhancing its Conventional military capabilities while simultaneously initiating confidence building measures with countries in the neighborhood in order to ensure regional stability.

Reflecting on recent American efforts to revoke the Pressler Amendment on Pakistan, the air chief wamed that the fallout of this would add to the security complications. “Therefore as an overall threat perspective, I visualize Pakistan as a potent threat in the Short term and China as a potential strategic challenge in the long term,” he said. Accusing the United States of hijacking the United Nations, Air Chief Marshal Kaul said that after the Gulf war, the UN was being used by the US more as an extension {0 serve its foreign policy interests. India has been subjected to pressures such as NPT, MTCR, GATT, NAFTA and Super 301; he said and pointed to the recent trend of “coercive diplomacy in the garb of human rights issues” with a frequent temptation by the West to wield the human rights stick to settle foreign policy issues. Pointing out the contradictions in this policy, the air chief went on to remark:””The United States, the so-called champions of human rights had admonished China for human rights abuses but yet continues to finalize Business deals and extend military cooperation to China,” he said. He regretted that in recent times India’s capabilities in international forums have somewhat erroded due to lack of diplomatic support from Russia which is evident from its policy on cryogenic engines, on NPT and even Kashmir.

Article extracted from this publication >>  December 3, 1993