Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Saturday said the government was committed to providing the best weapons and adequate funds to the Indian Army so that it could defend the country's frontiers.

Addressing a sainik sammelan, or gathering of soldiers, at the headquarters of the army's 14 Corps here, Manmohan Singh said the country was facing many challenges.

"No country can progress if its frontiers are not secure. We will provide the Indian Army the best weapons and there will be no constraints if there is a need for more funds," said Manmohan Singh, who is on a three-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir.

On Sunday, Manmohan Singh is set to become the first prime minister to visit Siachen, the world's highest battlefield.

At Siachen, he will interact with troops and be briefed by senior commanders on the ground situation at the glacier, which has been the scene of a military stand-off with Pakistan since 1984.

At the sainik sammelan, Manmohan Singh said: "If Jammu and Kashmir is still part of India, most credit for this should go to the army."

He noted that the army had faced many daunting challenges in Kashmir, including fighting that began soon after the country's independence in 1947.

"You are serving very far away from your families and homes in very different conditions to protect the frontiers. To read and gear about it is one thing, to see it is another. I am here to pay tributes to our gallant soldiers on behalf of the country," the prime minister said.

The event was attended by personnel and officers of the Indian Army, Indian Air Force, Indo-Tibetan Border Police and Border Roads with their families.

Army chief Gen J.J. Singh, Northern Command chief Lt. Gen. Hari Prasad and chief of the 14 Corps Lt. Gen. M.L. Naidu were also present.

After his address, Manmohan Singh and his wife Gursharan Kaur spent some time interacting with the soldiers over tea.