NEW DELHI - India could face trouble on both the Pakistani and Chinese borders at the same time but it is not in a position to defend even one, former national security advisor Brajesh Mishra said Wednesday.

“We are now facing the possibility of having two fronts being active simultaneously, both Pakistan and China, and this has never been the case before,” Mishra told BBC Hindi service in an interview.

“And India is not in a position as fas as defence preparedness is concerned to defend even one of these fronts,” he added.

Amid growing rhetoric between India and China, Mishra said relations between the two countries had worsened.

“In the last two years China has become hostile and at the same time Pakistan continues to be hostile. China supports Pakistan and the US gives money to Pakistan,” he said.

“Although the US is not an enemy of India but the effect of this support of both countries to Pakistan is adverse for India.”

Responding to advocates of better Sino-Indian ties, Mishra said: “My answer to people having such opinions is that why has China been behaving so aggressively of late.

“Be it Arunachal Pradesh, be it the issue of Kashmir or be it The Global Times, an official publication which says China can disintegrate India. So if this is the official position, how can I believe in such things?”

Mishra said India needed to “be very fast in building up our defence capabilities. This does not mean India should neglect its diplomacy as it is also very important. But there is no alternative to strengthening one’s defence capacities, both nuclear and conventional”.

He went on: “Every year the defence budget has been increasing, and every year the defence ministry returns the money to the Capital Fund because they don’t spend it. It is not they don’t have money, it is only that both the defence ministry and politicians don’t want to spend it.”