NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru said in the Lower House of Parliament yesterday that India was now relatively stronger than before to face any contingency of war with China.

Replying in a three-day debate on the Presidential inaugural address to Parliament, Mr Nehru said: “Broadly speaking, we do not want — we dislike intensely — a war with China. But that is not within our control. Therefore, we have to prepare for the contingency. We are growing stronger to face it.”

Mr Nehru placed on the table the latest Sino-Indian correspondence on the border dispute. According to this correspondence, China has accused Indian aircraft of violating Chinese airspace 37 times since December of last year.

In a note dated March 20, the Chinese Government strongly protested against “such a deliberate Indian provocation in disregard of China’s sovereignty and in serious violation of China’s airspace, and demanded an immediate stop to such illegal actions”. — Agencies

World Bank barrier KARACHI: Though six Pakistani contractors have been pre-qualified to bid for Indus replacement works contracts, none is likely get through because of a barrier placed by the World Bank in the form of performance bond which is a kind of insurance that comes to about Rs70 lakhs on a contract of Rs3 crores. — Special Representative