Nuke weapons not for war, for strategic purposes only: Army chief

In the midst of reports of China and Pakistan bolstering their nuclear arm, Army chief General VK Singh on Sunday said such weapons are not for fighting war but to have a strategic capability.

"Nuclear weapons are not for war fighting, let's be quite clear on it. They have got a strategic capability and that is where it should end. Me and my Army are not bothered about who has nuclear weapons. We have our task cut out and we will progress along that," he told reporters in Delhi.

The Army chief said this in response to a query on any possible nuclear eventuality from China in wake of the new Mountain Strike Corps being raised by the Indian Army.

China has been reportedly helping Pakistan in its nuclear power programme and has supplied reactors to that country. Beijing is also believed to have been tacitly assisting Islamabad in the nuclear weapons front.

On reports claiming that Pakistan may deploy its forces along its borders with India as a defensive measure in case of any terror strike here, he said, "It does not affect our options in anyway. Those are their options, what they want to do, they are most welcome to do."

Replying to a question whether the Finance Ministry has put a stop on some of the procurement plans of the Army, Gen Singh denied any knowledge and said the country's leadership was quite alive to the needs of the armed forces.

"I don't know. Every ministry has its own procedure. I am quite sure they are following their own procedure and the country's leadership is quite alive to what the needs of the armed forces are," he said and hoped that procurement plans will be accordingly put into motion.

On the Gujarat High Court's recent order to release a list of Indian prisoners of war (PoWs) in Pakistan, he said, "Discussion is going on this issue since 1965 and 1971. Government is trying its best for this. The court's decision will be added to it."