BANGALORE, DEC 9: General V P Malik, Chief of Army Staff, has said that there would be no compromise on self reliance.

He was speaking in the context of inducting indigenously developed weapon systems like the multi-barrel rocket launcher Pinaka, and the Main Battle Tank, Arjun.

The army would always be looking at inducting state of the art equipment, but self-reliance was important, he told mediaperons here on Monday.``We can import equipment if we cannot make it. But if we can that is another thing,'' he said.

Deploring reports about the army down the line being dissatisfied with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) developed Pinaka (which is undergoing user trials) and the Main Battle Tank, Arjun, he said: ``We shouldn't be complaining against each other, and we don't. We have to work together for the country.''

The Arjun MBT was in the final stages of development. Field trails were going on, and whatever defects had been discovered were to be corrected in a specified time frame, he said. It would ``soon'' enter the production stage.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.