The Taliban threat and instability in the Af-Pak region can have its fallout on India’s security in the next two years, Air Chief Marshal N A K Browne warned.
“2013 and 2014 are crucial watershed years as far as India’s security is concerned in the backdrop of instability writ large in Afghanisthan and Pakistan,” he said delivering the Air Chief Marshal L M Khatre Memorial lecture at Bangalore.
Browne said the effects of worsened instability in Afghanisthan, especially after the pull out of US troops from the region, could reach the Wagah border. “And of course you heard what (Lashkar founder) Hafeez Saeed has said in Peshawar recently. He (Saeed) wants to recover Muslim parts of Kashmir for Pakistan,” he said.
Browne later told reporters, the world was trying to make sure the armed and police forces in the region were capable of facing the challenge of Taliban attacks.
“They have shown some good results during the recent Taliban attacks on Afghanisthan capital Kabul. We hope in the next two years the Afghan police and armed forces take the responsibility of handling these situations,” he said.
If Afghanisthan police and armed forces are unable to handle the situation, then security in the neighbouring region would further downslide, Browne said.
On India’s border problems with Pakistan and China, he said, “these have remained unresolved …they do not want to resolve it…Even if they want to resolve they want most of the points in their favour.” He said both the countries were colluding in the development of aircraft and weapon.
“I canÂ’t think of any other model in the world where you are dealing with this kind of situation with two nuclear powered neighbouring countries having border issues with us as a common cause for point of friction