Pak's hand in J&K hindering peace: Antony

Defence Minister AK Antony today said Pakistan's continuing support to the militants in Jammu and Kashmir was a worrying factor and was hampering the ongoing Indo-Pak peace process.

Antony's remarks, made at the four-day conference of 100 top commanders of the Army, amount to occasional reminders that New Delhi keeps sending to Islamabad about its obligation to stop fomenting trouble in Kashmir so that the ongoing peace process can move forward.

The defence minister said although the dialogue between India and Pakistan had given rise to huge expectations on all sides, "Pakistan will have to put an end to cross-border terrorism for the dialogue to be successful.''

Asking the Army to be vigilant on its western borders, Antony said Pakistan had been raising its defence budget and getting military assistance from the western countries. "Although we wish to continue the talks with Pakistan, it is imperative for us to keep a close watch on various developments and maintain vigil," he said.

Antony said while relations between India and China were improving fast, the situation in Afghanistan was a cause for worry. He said a multinational effort to bring the situation in the war-torn Afghanistan under control was imperative for the security of the world.

On the North east, he said while talks with the Ulfa - Assam's main insurgent group - had failed, many separatist groups elsewhere were entering into agreements for "suspension of operations" with the government. Sustained pressure on Ulfa, he said, had reduced the outfit's capabilities to extract money from industrial houses and common people.