Antony welcomes US decision to suspend military aid to Pak

NEW DELHI: The US decision to suspend millions of dollars worth of military aid to Pakistan was a "welcome step", defence minister AK Antony said on Tuesday. However, he expressed his apprehensions about how long the embargo would last.

"It is too early to say like that. How long this embargo (US suspension of military aid to Pakistan) will continue, I don't know, but still it is a positive step. It is a welcome step," Antony said.

The defence minister's statement came a day after external affairs minister SM Krishna had expressed his happiness at the US decision saying that the continuing American funding for arming Pakistan would have upset the equilibrium in the region.

The US last week decided on put on hold $800 million of cash and equipment to Pakistan's military. The suspended aid is about one-third of the $2 billion in annual American security assistance to Pakistan.

Meanwhile, the defence minister said the Army's proposed deployment in Chhattisgarh was only for training and said the Army personnel have been given guidelines for self-defence while operating in the naxal-affected area.

"We are there not to fight or engage naxals. At the same time, government has given them (Army) Standard Operating Procedures for self-defence," Antony said.

The Army has started deploying troops in Narayangarh ranges of Chhattisgarh for training purposes. "Army is now having presence in some of the areas where they were not present earlier. But it is going into these areas purely on professional grounds. They want more training grounds (as) they are short of firing ranges," Antony said.