Parrikar Dismisses Nuclear Threat From ‘Empty Vessel’ Pakistan

“Something definitely went wrong in Uri. We will ensure it doesn’t happen again,” Manohar Parrikar said.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. (Photo: Reuters)

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar dismissed a nuclear threat from Pakistan, calling the neighbour’s provocative statements as a case of “empty vessels make more noise”, reported Hindustan Times on Wednesday.

This statement came hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met top officials to weigh an effective response to Sunday’s terrorist attack in Uri that killed 18 jawans.

It wasn’t immediately clear on what the committee on security decided as the plan of action post the Uri attack. But PM Modi has been under pressure to keep his election promise to deal firmly with attacks on India from Pakistan. The Army has said it will retaliate at a time and place open to its discretion.

He said he believed in the “principle of zero error” and India needed to ensure “wrongs” are not repeated.

“The stronger man doesn’t make too many arguments,” Parrikar said.

Sometimes a Knee-Jerk Reaction is Needed

Admitting to lapses in India’s security, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said on Wednesday that something definitely “went wrong in Uri”.

In the press conference Parrikar said:

Obviously it’s a sensitive matter. I think we will definitely find out what went wrong. We will ensure it doesn’t happen again.

He also said that this incident may need a “knee-jerk” reaction.

Won’t go into details of what India can do, but sometimes knee-jerk reaction is required. 

Reacting to Parrikar’s statements, Congress leader, Shashi Tharoor said:

I think what is disappointing is Uri attack happened after the attack on the Pathankot air base. Certainly Pathankot is bad enough, Uri is unforgivable and the third shouldn’t happen. Surveillance equipment is inadequate in India, our preparedness must be reviewed.

(With inputs from PTI and Hindustan Times)