IAF chief for bringing behavioural change in Pakistan

The Indian Air Chief B.S. Dhanoa on Thursday said India needs to build creditable deterrence capability to bring behavioural change in Pakistan's approach.

Addressing a select gathering at Vivekananda Foundation on Pakistan, Dhanoa said, "Repeated terrorist attacks indicate our deterrence is not working in the sub conventional domain. We need to build conventional deterrence capability to affect a behavioural change in Pakistan."

Alluding to the tensions between India and Pakistan after an attack on Indian Parliament in 2001, Dhanoa said the last time a behavioural change in Pakistan was affected in 2001 "when they were told that they should be ready to be bombed back to stone-age and they changed their behaviour".

The Air Chief mocked Pakistan army by saying that in most countries the "state has an Army but in Pakistan the Army has a state."

"If peace were to come, it (Pakistan Army) would lose several of it privileges. I can't afford to put my children in Ivy League colleges and settle down in London like many of their generals do," the Air Chief said.

He also said that Pakistan will keep the pot boiling in Kashmir and will keep attacking the Indian military.

"Any such attack may have unintended consequences which may result in an escalation," the Air Chief warned.

He also said that China has increased deployment of aircraft and air crew in Tibetan Autonomous Region.

He, however, added the geography works against China, especially in the Tibetan Autonomous Region.

On the question about need for more funds, Dhanoa said, "If we spend all money on defence then our economy will be like that of our western neighbour (Pakistan).

Talking about the recently concluded Gagan Shakti exercise, the Air Chief said, "It was not against any country. What we did in exercise Gagan Shakti is that we have walked the extra mile."

The exercises had seen the IAF move its assets rapidly between the eastern and western sectors. It had also practiced maritime operations in conjunction with the Indian Navy. It had even demonstrated its ability to use fighter aircraft stationed in the eastern part of the country for operations on the western seaboard, over the Arabian Sea.