Doklam a diplomatic victory for India: Former foreign secretary Kanwal Sibal

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Manash Pratim Gohain

NEW DELHI: "The recent resolution of Doklam issue is a diplomatic victory for India," said former foreign secretary Kanwal Sibal, while M Jagadesh Kumar, vice-chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University said that effective deterrents cannot be ensured on imported technologies, on Saturday.

These opinion and ideas were exchanged at the day-long seminar on "Comprehensive view of India's National Security" organized by JNU's Centre for Media Studies in collaboration with Global Counter Terrorism Council, which was attended by people like former Army Chief General JJ Singh, former foreign secretary, Sibal, former defence secretary, Shekhar Dutt and international security experts like professor Chintamani Mahapatra, among others.

Calling upon integrated approach between the diplomacy, army and bureaucracy, Singh said: "India's diplomacy, army and other bureaucracy needs a policy of integration to deal with modern international relations and security," adding, that "Study of India's geography is important to secure our borders."

The seminar deliberated on relationships with China in general and Doklam in particular. Lauding the current leadership, Sibal said: "Indian diplomacy, Army and the country's current leadership had a very clear success in Doklam crisis with China. India's position stands vindicated."

Suggesting increased investment in defence research to develop indigenous defence technologies, Kumar said: "Potential for conflict between countries is on rise for various reasons. National security concerns therefore take center stage in any bilateral relations. We need to build deterrents to address this problem. We cannot build effective deterrents if we depend on imported technologies. One of the ways to address India's security concerns, therefore, is to invest more in defence research to develop indigenous defence technologies."

The seminar had a unique combination of scholars from security studies, the army generals, diplomats who help Indian government frame security policies and the senior journalists discussing India's security both economic and physical security.

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