Thaindian News

New Delhi, May 11 (IANS) Ten days after US special forces killed Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden in Pakistan, India Wednesday carried out a comprehensive review of its security architecture, defence ministry officials said here.

Defence Minister A.K. Antony chaired a meeting that assessed the security implications of the May 2 US strike at Abbottabad killing Osama and Pakistan’s angry reactions to the covert operation, particularly its warning of a catastrophic response to any “misadventure” by its neighbours.

With US and Pakistan blowing hot and cold over the SEALs operation, India is keenly watching the spat and its impact on its own security and that of Afghanistan, where a war on terror is led by the Americans, apart from putting pressure on its western neighbour to act against the terror accused on its most-wanted list.

The meeting, officials suggested, also took stock of the recent assessment of an Indian security think-tank that China could take over Pakistan-occupied Kashmir by 2020 and Beijing’s infrastructure build-up on the Sino-Indian border.

The meeting was attended by National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon, Indian Air Force chief Air Cheif Marshal P.V. Naik, Indian Navy chief Admiral Nirmal Verma, Indian Army chief General V.K. Singh and Defence Secretary Pradeep Kumar.

Antony had on Tuesday reviewed India’s coastal security arrangements and its beefing up in the aftermath of the 26/11 Mumbai terror strike, in which the maritime security agencies of the country gave him a low-down on the apparatus put in place over the last two years, defence ministry officials said here.

Tuesday’s meeting was attended by Coast Guard Director General Vice Admiral Anil Chopra, Defence Production secretary R.K. Singh, apart from the navy chief and defence secretary.

The meeting reviewed the progress on phase-I of the coastal security mechanism put in place by the government that is almost complete.

The navy, which was given overall charge of coastal security in February 2009, has already raised the 1,000-man Sagar Prahari Bal for providing round-the-clock security for important military and strategic assets along India’s 7,500-km long coastline.

Apart from providing speedboats and floating platforms for the Coast Guard to carry out its duties effectively, the coastal states too have opened several hundreds of coastal police stations, apart from getting policemen trained by the navy.

On the eve of the second anniversary last year of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, India took a giant step by installing gap-free radar coverage atop 90 lighthouses by placing an order worth Rs 76 crore with Swedish firm SAAB.

The coastal security exercises, regularly carried out by the forces in coordination with other maritime agencies such as customs, ports, fisheries and petroleum ministries, too were reviewed.

The meeting also discussed the second phase of the coastal security mechanism that will be implemented beginning this year.