42 terror camps in Pak active: Antony
New Delhi/Panaji, Feb. 19: India’s defence minister said on Friday that there was "nothing wrong" in holding foreign secretary-level talks with Pakistan, but pointed out that all the terrorist camps in Pakistan or territory controlled by it were still "active".
"It is a considered decision of the government to have foreign secretary-level talks with Pakistan. There is nothing wrong in that. Everything will now depend on the outcome of the talks," defence minister A.K. Antony told reporters in Goa on the sidelines of a ceremony to induct advanced MiG-29K fighter jets into the Indian Navy.
The minister was asked why talks were being held with Pakistan when it had not stopped aiding terrorists targeting India. He said: "All the 42 (terror camps in Pakistan) near their border are active even now. This year, the number of infiltration attempts has also gone up. All the terror outfits are still active, and that is our main concern but despite this...." When asked about the possible outcome of talks, Mr Antony said: "What the outcome will be ... I can’t say. I am not an astrologer."
The Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Deepak Kapoor, on Friday said Pakistan was continuing its policy of pushing infiltrators from across the border into Jammu and Kashmir. "Our neighbour will continue with this infiltration, which is still on," Gen. Kapoor said, noting that the armed forces were ready and vigilant to thwart such infiltration.
In other developments, India will soon place an order for an additional 29 MiG-29K Russian-manufactured maritime fighter jets after placing an initial order for 16 of these aircraft a few years ago. On Friday, Mr Antony inducted four of the MiG-29K jets into the "Black Panthers" squadron of the Navy at a ceremony in Goa. Of the initial order of 16 aircraft, four have now been inducted.
"We have already placed orders for 16 of these aircraft. In the second batch, we will place orders for 29 more as the Navy has shown interest in it," Mr Antony said. The MiG-29K fighters will eventually operate from the aircraft-carrier Admiral Gorshkov, currently undergoing refitting in a Russian shipyard.
"After induction, the fighters will be operated for around two years from the under-development shore-based testing facility (SBTF) INS Hansa till the actual delivery of Admiral Gorshkov, rechristened as INS Vikramaditya, slated for 2012," news agencies quoted a senior naval officer as saying in Goa. India has only one aircraft-carrier, INS Viraat, but the MiG-29Ks cannot be operated from it as these are too big to take off or land from the Viraat’s flight deck.
Age Correspondent
With Agency Inputs
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