Improve civilian-military relationship: Minister

Former army chief General V.K. Singh has called for improving functional relationship between the military command and civilian leadership.

He asserted that the government needed to seriously consider the recommendations made by the Kargil Committee report in this regard.

"We have been talking about improving our civilian-military relationship for three-four decades now. But we are only talking about it as nothing concrete has been done," he said talking to reporters on the sidelines of a book launch in New Delhi late on Tuesday.

"Government needs to take a serious look at Kargil Committee report and bring in serious changes," Singh added.

Singh, who is currently the minister of state for external affairs, blamed the foreign policy of the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru for the debacle in 1962 war with China.

He also said the distrust between the then civilian and military establishment was a major reason for India's suffering.

"Foreign policy of the time and approach we had adopted towards our neighbour prior to 1962 was the primary reason for India's suffering," Singh said.

"1962 war is looked at as failure on two fronts. How our political leadership, bureaucracy and intelligence worked. And how military looked at it if it was allowed to shed the baggage of colonial era. Clearly there was a huge gap in communication," Singh said substantiating his views regarding the historical event.

Singh launched a book '1962: The war that wasn't' authored by Shiv Kunal Verma.

"Sometimes a person grows in his stature to such an extent that he goes beyond scrutiny and any kind of questioning despite the blunders he makes," Singh said, referring to Nehru, who he alleged went scot-free despite the humiliation that country had to face during the war.