Don't take restraint as weakness: India to Pak

Defence minister AK Antony, while pointing that ''responsible elements'' from across the border sponsored the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, said, ''our restraint should not be construed as a sign of weakness.''

Dismissing suggestions that the government's 'meek response' to the attacks were due to Pakistan possessing nuclear weapons, he said it was ''nothing like that'' and that India was capable of meeting ''all challenges'' at all times.

''We are still pursuing the diplomatic option, but that is definitely not any indication of our weakness,'' he told the mediapersons in Bengaluru.

Pointing that the 'assault' indeed compelled the government to speed up the modernisation process of defence and security forces along with the intelligence network in the country, the defence minister said ''the attack made us more vigilant and has ever since kept the armed forces in a state of preparedness.''

''Despite mounting world pressure and credible evidence of Pakistani elements' involvement in the dastardly Mumbai attacks, even after more than two months there was no real improvement in the situation in our vicinity.''

It was because of this that modernisation of the forces ''at the earliest'' was a necessity, he said and that the security scenario around the country was not very encouraging.

The minister also trashed the Chinese propaganda that it ''forced'' an Indian submarine to surface in the Gulf of Eden last month after it was found snooping on two of its warships. On the Admiral Gorshkov deal with Russia, Antony said the price negotiations on buying the ship were still on.