Hard to justify 'self-restraint'-Pallam Raju

SINGAPORE: India on Saturday said it would be hard to justify "self-restraint" in case of another 26/11 type attack on its territory.

"If the provocation is to happen again, I think it would be hard to justify to our people such a self-restraint," as has been exercised following the 26/11 Mumbai attack, Minster of State for Defence, M M Pallam Raju told an Asian security conference here.

But "I hope that it will not be repeated," the Minister said, pointing out that India had exercised great self-restraint and "dealt in a very mature manner with the government of Pakistan," following the 26/11 attack on Mumbai.

He said, India is engaged in extensive dialogues with Pakistan relating to the attack.

"The international community is aware of the damning evidence that has come out from David Headley's interrogation," he told the Shangri-La Dialogue where Defence Ministers from China, US, UK and top defence analysts were in attendance.

"We have had an extensive engagement in trying to bring the perpetrators to the book and have been continuing dialogue at government level (with Pakistan)," he said.

Raju said, it was not only India but Pakistan which had now become a victim to the machinations of the terrorists.

In his written speech, the Minister said, the spectrum of terrorist challenges to India ranged from suicide bombers to cyber hostility and New Delhi was developing capabilities to deal with these.

To grapple with this, the Minister said, there was a need for special equipment and special training and a doctrinal shift from the previous pre-occupation with conventional warfare alone.