N-weapons falling in wrong hands an area of concern: Antony

With increasing terror attacks in Pakistan raising concerns over the safety of its nuclear arsenal, defence minister AK Antony today said the threat of these weapons falling in wrong hands was an "area of serious concern" and its consequences would be "unimaginable".

Noting that there was scarcely any country which was not affected by terrorism, Antony said the recent terror-related incidents in Pakistan and Afghanistan have "thrust South Asia into a sub-conventional conflict and instability."

"Threat of nuclear weapons falling in wrong hands remains an area of serious concern and consequences of such a situation are unimaginable," he said while addressing a seminar 'Changing Nature of Conflict: Trends and Responses'.

Speaking on the occasion, Army chief General Deepak Kapoor said South Asia along with West Asia has emerged as "one of the epicentres of conflict and instability."

The Army chief warned that the situation would "further worsen, since there was neither any political or diplomatic unity nor any common ground to build a consensus to fight this new war."

"Territorial disputes, provocation by proxy wars, religious fundamentalism, radical extremism, ethnic tensions and socio-economic disparities are the hallmarks of South Asia," he added.