Article Posted on : - Mar 06, 2010

Indian Defence Minister A K Antony. Afile photo

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM (PTI): Government expressed serious concern over the US equipping Pakistan army with modern weapons and asked Washington to ensure that they were not used against India.

"United States decision to provide sophisticated weapons (to Pakistan) is a matter of serious concern to India. The US should ensure that these weapons are not targeted against India", Defence Minister A K Antony told reporters here Saturday.

Noting that the issue had already been taken up with the US defence weapons, Pakistan , US, army Secretary during his visit to India recently, he said the American explanation that Pakistan army has to be strengthened to fight terrorist outfits like Al-Qaeda and Taliban in Afghanistan was not convincing to India.

Antony, who inaugurated a new building at the Coast Guard Station at Vizhinjam near here, said, "Our past experience is bitter" on this issue.

The Defence Minister said he told US Defence Secretary that even though they were providing equipment to fight terrorists, Pakistan army was deploying them on Jammu and Kashmir borders.

"This is a matter of concern to India and I hope that the US will take a serious note of this," Antony said.

He said while India preferred to carry on talks with Pakistan, Islamabad should take firm action to dismantle as many as 42 terrorist camps operating on its soil.

"Unless these terrorist camps are destroyed, it is a difficult situation. We want some action (by Pakistan) to dismantle these camps," he said.