Dehradun: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday said India has no extra-territorial ambitions but asked the armed forces to be alert against Pakistan "which pursues terrorism as a matter of state policy".
Addressing the Passing Out Parade of the Indian Military Academy here as the reviewing officer, Singh asked the cadets commissioned into the armed forces Saturday to take the message of service and peace to the world but be prepared to deal with a neighbour like Pakistan.
"Despite suffering defeat at the hands of India in several wars, Pakistan continues to pursue terrorism as a matter of state policy. Non-state actors in Pakistan are so strong that those in the political centre stage look no more than mere puppets in their hands," Singh said.
"History bears evidence to the fact that India does not have extra-territorial ambitions. It believes in friendly relations with its neighbours. But we have to be ready to deal with a neighbour like Pakistan," he said.
Underlining that the mastermind of 9/11 and the 26/11 perpetrators and their handlers were found in Pakistan, the defence minister said, "The victims of 26/11 will get justice only when the handlers of the terror siege are brought to book."
He asked the new IMA passouts to hone the skills learnt at the academy so that they are ready to grapple with the relatively new challenge of cyber terror.
He said territorial perceptions of India and China might be different from each other but China stands with the rest of the world in the fight against terrorism. He also praised the Indian security forces for displaying great willpower as well as a restraint during the Doklam crisis with the Chinese.