The probe commission on the Abbottabad operation Monday discussed the defence strategy adopted by the army and the air force and the infiltration by US stealth planes into the Pakistani airspace on May 2 to kill al Qaeda supremo Osama bin Laden.
The commission, headed by Justice Javed Iqbal, held a meeting at the Cabinet Division during which Director General Military Operations (DGMO) Maj Gen Ashfaq Nadeem and Deputy Air Chief Air Marshal Mohammad Hassan separately briefed them on the May 2 events and the related military strategy. Both the officers also answered questions raised by the members. A source told Pakistan Today that both the officers defended the performance of their respective forces while insisting that there was no failure.
However, the source said, they admitted that Pakistan lagged behind the US forces in terms of technology and advancement. “The deputy air chief also briefed the commission on stealth technology. Moreover, he said the US helicopters had adopted a mountainous route due to which the radars could not detect them. He told the commission that the radars were operating in peaceful conditions and the same were not in a war situation,” added the source. Air Marshal Hassan elaborated functioning of the radar system which forms the fundamental component of the PAF air defence system.
