NEW DELHI: Attempting to bury the controversy generated by Indian Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor’s remarks, Indian Defence Minister AK Antony on Saturday said India had no "extra-territorial" ambitions and was not a "war-mongering" nation.

Kapoor was quoted by the media as saying that India could take on Pakistan and China simultaneously and "bring [the conflict] to a satisfactory conclusion in 96 hours". He had even suggested that a "limited war under a nuclear overhang" was possible in South Asia.

"We might have a difference of opinion with our neighbours, but we have no extra- territorial ambitions. We are not a war-mongering country," Antony said at a press conference at the Indian Coast Guard headquarters.

On the Kashmir issue, Antony said the current situation was much better in comparison to the past year. "Even now, there are a large number of terrorists waiting along the border to cross the Line of Control (LoC)," said Antony.

"This is a matter of concern because despite repeated requests from the Indian government, almost all terrorist outfits operating from across the border are still active and Islamabad is not doing much about this," the Indian defence minister said.

He said the situation in Kashmir was a "matter of concern", although the scenario had "not worsened" compared to last year.

In response to a comment that Islamabad was increasing its defence budget, the Indian defence minister said, "We will also do what is necessary to protect our territories."

Hitting out at Islamabad for its reaction on India’s military doctrine, he said, "I don’t know why there is this overreaction. India is not a war-mongering country."

Antony said the Indian navy, army and air force were being strengthened to enhance security. "The process of acquiring 20 fast patrol vessels, 41 interceptor boats, 12 coastal surveillance aircraft and 7 offshore patrol vehicles is underway," he said.

He said that joint intelligence sharing operation centres were functional at Mumbai, Kochi, Port Blair and Visakhapatnam, adding that regional headquarters had been set up in Gujarat to monitor the coast.

The Indian defence minister said a project to install a chain of 46 static radars across nine coastal stations was nearing completion.