Friday, November 18 2005 16:19 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Pune: Inspite of the confidence-building measures, Pakistan would remain a primary threat to India, Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal S P Tyagi said here today (Nov 18, 2005).

"Though things have changed a great deal in the last three years between the two nations, the security dimension remains the same, terrorist infrastructure still exists in Pakistan and there is no reduction in cross-border terrorism", he said at B C Joshi Memorial Lecture at Pune University, while speaking on the 'Role of the IAF in the changing regional security environment'.

"Pakistan would remain a major threat and we cannot assume that the peace process is firmly entrenched. Terrorist threats and attacks continue to be regular phenomena indicating that the infrastructure for terrorism in Pakistan and POK is still very active", the Chief of Air Staff said.

Identifying China as another security and defence threat to India, Air Chief Marshal Tyagi said "the capabilities of China should figure in our matrix of security planning because I see Chinese weapons in our neighbourhood. China's strategic encirclement of our country is already well under way and this would only lead to more problems for us in future.

"China is more likely to view us as a regional economic threat and perhaps would be forced to attempt to stem our growth and influence in the region", he added.

"While describing Pakistan and China as threat to India, it does not mean that we are going to go to war with these two neighbouring countries", he added.