George Fernandes, India's defence minister, on Tuesday questioned whether the US-led coalition could succeed in capturing or killing Osama bin Laden or in its goal of replacing the Taliban regime with a stable democratic government in Afghanistan.

Mr Fernandes' remarks, delivered at a seminar on terrorism in New Delhi, are likely to irk officials in the US administration, which is coming under increasing criticism at home and abroad over the effects of the bombing campaign on Afghanistan. Mr Fernandes, who was re-appointed as India's defence minister two weeks ago having resigned over a corruption scandal in March, said the task of capturing Mr bin Laden "may end up as an unfulfilled wish".

In addition, the goal of establishing a broad-based and stable government in Afghanistan was "a long-term gamble", he said.

The Indian government, which, with Russia and Iran, is a strong backer of the Northern Alliance, the anti-Taliban forces that control more than 10 per cent of Afghanistan's territory, has expressed growing frustration over the central role that Pakistan, India's main rival, is playing as a frontline state in the US-led war.

India, which accuses Pakistan of sponsoring terrorism in the Indian-held portion of the disputed territory of Kashmir, resumed cross-border shelling of Pakistan military positions earlier this month, following a suicide bomb in Srinagar which claimed 38 lives. In addition, India has strongly criticised Pakistan's goal of including "moderate Taliban" figures in any post-Taliban government.

Uday Bhaskar, a leading Indian defence analyst, said that Mr Fernandes' remarks also reflected genuine concern in New Delhi that the potential destabilisation of Afghanistan could have an impact on India's 130m-strong Muslim population. India's Muslims, many of whom are boycotting US and UK products over the war, are generally opposed to the US-led strikes on Afghanistan.

"What Mr Fernandes is saying reflects sincere worries in New Delhi about the potential destabilisation of the region," said Mr Bhaskar. "It should not just be read as Indian unhappiness over Pakistan's role in the coalition."

Mr Fernandes, who is considered a leading anti-Pakistan hawk in the Indian coalition government, also sought to allay fears on Tuesday about the safety of Pakistan's nuclear weapons. "Those concerned with Pakistan's nuclear programme are responsible people," he said. "Pakistan's nuclear assets are in safe hands." Separately, Yoshiro Mori, Japan's former prime minister, on a visit to New Delhi as a special envoy of Tokyo, on Tuesday said that Japan was exploring ways of improving mutual security interests with India, particularly concerning the safety of oil supplies from the Gulf.

Japan, which lifted nuclear-related sanctions on India and Pakistan at the weekend, following a similar move by the US earlier this month, was also working with India on plans to provide economic reconstruction aid to Afghanistan once a post-Taliban regime had been established.

Mr Mori held talks with Mr Fernandes and Atal Behari Vajpayee, India's prime minister.