Chandigarh: President A P J Abdul Kalam on September 29 said India was committed to peace with neighbours, but had the capability to deal effectively with challenges posed by cross-border terrorism.

"Cross-border terrorism poses a problem for us, but we are strong enough to deal with it," he said in reply to a question by a student during his hour-long interaction with nearly 850 children drawn from 120 schools.

The students had asked what steps were being taken by India to resolve the Kashmir issue.

"To protect our borders and to protect the lives of our citizens, India is capable enough," Kalam said.

To another question, he said India would not be the first to use nuclear weapons.

PTI