Strongly supporting the country's nuclear programme, President A P J Abdul Kalam on Sunday made a veiled reference to Pakistan saying: "you can not sit idle when your neighbour is developing nuclear bombs."

Emphasising that "the strength respects the strength", Kalam justified the country's expenditure on defence matters saying, "The economic and political freedom of the nation is very important."

The President's comments came while interacting with the students of the Coast Guard Public School in Daman after presenting 'colours' to the sentinels of the Indian Maritime Force.

Kalam brushed aside queries on nuclear non-proliferation saying: "India is now a nuclear weapon state." Asked about the country's defence expenditure, Kalam said, "We spent fraction of an amount on defence compared to our neighbours."

Lauding the role of Coast Guard in protecting the country's seas, the President said, "500 years ago Daman was taken by foreigners who came by sea route, because of our weakness, disunity and many issues of smaller kingdoms."

Reiterating that India's nuclear weapon programme was for peace, the ‘missile man' said that disarmament was possible only if all developed nations agree to remove their nuclear arsenals.

Kalam, whose vision is to make India a "superpower by 2020", exhorted students to "think big".

"A young mind ignited with a mission is the most powerful of country's resources," he said.