'US arms supply to Pakistan a concern'

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: India was not convinced with the US explanation that it was supplying sophisticated arms to Pakistan army to take on the Taliban and al-Qaida, Union defence minister A K Antony said on Saturday.

"The US decision to supply sophisticated arms to Pakistan is a matter of serious concern to us as the experience has been that these are used against India. I took it up with the US defence secretary when he was here. According to them, the fight against Taliban and al-Qaida is more important. But we are not convinced with this explanation as our experience has been bitter. We request the US government to ensure that these weapons are not used against India, but only deployed on the Af-Pak border," Antony said after inaugurating the new office complex of the Coast Guard station at Vizhinjam.

Asked how the government planned to ensure that its proposed surrender policy for militants from across the border would not be misused, Antony said he was confident that there will be elaborate arrangements to ensure security of the country.

On the Indo-Pak talks, he said the decision to engage Pakistan was a "conscious one, and that it will continue.

He, however, regretted that Pakistan had made no serious effort to disband the 42 terror training camps that continue to function across the border.