Rising territorial claims by China present India with the threat of two military fronts on its northern borders within five years, Brajesh Mishra, New Delhi’s former national security adviser, said on Friday.

Mr Mishra, who was security adviser to former prime minister Atul Behari Vajpayee and is close to current PM Manmohan Singh, warned of an “unprecedented challenge” facing his country on simultaneous fronts with Pakistan and China.