New Delhi, April 24
At a time when relations between India and Pakistan are perceived to be improving, Defence Minister AK Antony on Tuesday told top military commanders that the summer months would provide an “even more realistic assessment” of the situation.

At the Unified Commanders’ Conference that saw participation of top officers of the Army, Air Force and the Navy, Antony’s remarks were apparently aimed at addressing the concerns in certain quarters over the revocation of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in Jammu and Kashmir.

His remarks come close on the heels of Pakistan Army Chief Ashfaq Parvez Kayani’s statement that Siachen, the highest battlefield of the world where the two countries are engaged in an eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation, should be demilitarised.

The J&K situation has vastly improved over the past few years, he noted. “We have to remain vigilant,” Antony said.

The Home Ministry has proposed some changes in the AFSPA. These will be discussed in the Cabinet Committee on Security. On Siachen, the defence secretaries of the two countries met last year.

Antony also spoke on the volatile situation in the Af-Pak region. He said latest events clearly showed that issues between those countries were far from being resolved. Developments in that region have a bearing on India’s security, he said.

Antony said while modernisation remained the government’s topmost priority, a mechanism had to be put in place to fast-track procurement of defence equipment and upgrading infrastructure.