Islamabad, December 23
Pakistan’s armed forces will mount an equal response “within minutes” if India carries out any surgical strike inside the country, army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani has reportedly assured the nation’s leadership.
During a meeting at the presidency here yesterday, Kayani informed President Asif Ali Zardari about the operational preparedness of the military in the face of mounting tensions with India in the wake of the Mumbai terror attacks.
The armed forces were “fully prepared to meet any eventuality and the men are ready to (make a) sacrifice for their country”, Kayani was quoted as saying by pro-establishment The News daily. The report also quoted the army chief as saying that Pakistan would respond “within minutes” in the event of surgical strikes by India.
The “crux of the meeting” between Zardari and Kayani “was that any further buckling under mounting Indian pressure would prove counter-productive and would further encourage New Delhi to further build up pressure on Islamabad”.
— PTI
