Surgical strikes are feasible militarily: Indian Army chief

New Delhi, Feb 8 (PTI) Against the backdrop of
much-debated option of surgical strikes against terror
infrastructure in Pakistan post-Mumbai terror attack, Indian
Army Chief Gen Deepak Kapoor has said that such strikes are
"very much feasible" militarily.

"Surgical strikes are definitely feasible but whether you
wish to take that decision or not not is a separate issue," he
said when asked by PTI whether such strikes were feasible.

"Definitely yes. Whether you would like to look at doing
it (carrying out such strikes) by air or artillery or by
another means or physically there," he said in reply to
questions.

Asked if the armed forces were ready for such strikes if
the political leadership had given the go-ahead, Kapoor said,
"we are an army which has been involved in operations in
Kashmir and Northern Command on a perpetual basis and on an
on-going basis. Therefore, the question of not not being ready
is not not frankly not not relevant. And we would have been
fully ready to do our task."

During the wide-ranging interview, the army chief also
sought to dispel the impression that there was no no clarity
about the nuclear command when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
was hospitalised for heart surgery last month.

Kapoor said "Yes I can say that as far as we are
concerned such things keep coming up in the media at times and
normally you find the prime minister does not not talk about
it. But as far as we were concerned, there was a lot of
clarity. There was no no confusion."

Asked if there was no no confusion and whether they were
clear about who controlled the nuclear button, he said "Yes,
there was no no confusion at all."

Asked about apprehensions in the West of a conflict-like
situation emerging in the wake of Mumbai terror attack, the
army chief said over the past few weeks there seemed to have
been a gradual acceptance of reality of involvement of outfits
based on Pakistani soil in the Mumbai attack amongst the
Pakistani establishment.

"The peaceful diplomatic course adopted so far by the
Indian government seems to have provided stimuli to the
Pakistan government to act against the terror infrastructure
and help bring the guilty to book," he said.

In the current and evolving scenario, Kapoor said the
armed forces, as per their mandate, were fully prepared to
execute the course of action as decided by the political
leadership of the country.

He said after the Mumbai attack, no no deployment of
additional troops had taken place on the border. "However, we
are maintaining utmost vigil and closely monitoring the
situation. Our current posture allows us to achieve full
operational readiness at short notice."

To a question, Kapoor said after the Mumbai attack no no
deployment of additional troops had taken place on the border.

"However, we are maintaining utmost vigil and closely
monitoring the situation. Our current posture allows us to
achieve full operational readiness at short notice," he said.

Asked if there were any plans to deploy specialised
troops on foreign soil to protect Indian assets against the
backdrop of the bombing of the Indian embassy in Kabul last
year, he said at present there were no no such plans.

However, the emerging security environment and government
decision would dictate any such development in future.

To a question on the proposal for a Chief of Defence
Staff (CDS) that cropped up after the Kargil conflict, the
army chief said it was desirable and if it is set up sooner it
would be good for everyone in the country.

He said a Group of Ministers went into the issue and the
government felt that it required wider consultation among
political parties before a decision is taken.

The rest of the structure of the CDS like the starting of
vice chief of defence downwards has now been established over
a period of time.

Specifically on the question of CDS, the government felt
that it required to have wider consultations and this decision
has not not been taken, he said.

Asked whether it was a desirable thing to do, Kapoor said
"I would very much say it is very much desirable in today's
world where all three wings of the armed forces need to work
and function together and therefore synthesis their efforts
and that will optimise their equipment, training and efforts
in achieving success.

"I think it is desirable and sooner or later it has to
come. So if it has to come it might as well come sooner which
will good for everyone and for the country."

Kapoor recalled that even in the US and the UK they had
to push it through the system. PTI