Expressing profound concern over the repeated terrorist attacks from Afghanistan on Pakistani border posts, the top military brass on Friday resolved to protect the country’s sovereignty at all costs and take all possible steps to prevent such assaults in which several soldiers have been killed and injured so far.
With army chief General Ashfaq Kayani in the chair, the top army brass held detailed discussions on recent cross-border attacks by Afghanistan based Pakistani Taliban on the country’s border posts during the Corps Commanders’ meeting held at General Headquarters (GHQ) Rawalpindi, according to officials privy to top level military consultations on various important matters pertaining to security
and defense.
The military commanders vowed that all steps would be taken to prevent militant attacks on the border posts in Dir, Chitral and Bajaur Agency and eliminate the miscreants.
The meeting was told that ISI chief General Zaheerul Islam, who recently visited Washington and met his CIA counterpart David Petraeus and other senior American officials, shared with them “concrete evidence” about the hideouts of terrorists involved in attacks on Pakistani border posts as well as supply of arms and ammunition to them on the other side of the Afghan border, officials said.
An official seeking anonymity said General Zaheer had demanded of US an immediate and effective action against militant hideouts in Kunar and Nuristan provinces of Afghanistan.
“The military leadership while expressing deep concern over the repeated attacks by Maulvi Fazlullah-led Pakistani Taliban, also known as the Swat Taliban, on Pakistani posts observed that Pakistan has the right to go for ‘hot pursuit’ of these militants if assaults continued. However, it was hoped that the situation would not get that much worsened and all necessary steps would be taken on the part of NATO and Afghan authorities to eliminate the hideouts of these terrorists,” he said. Maulvi Fazlullah, head of the Swat Taliban, and dozens of his followers had crossed over to Afghanistan and reportedly taken refuge in Kunar and Nuristan provinces after they suffered defeat at the hands of Pakistan Army in Swat a couple of years ago.
Another official said, requesting not to be named, that the recent visit of the ISI director general to the US was also deliberated upon at length in the Corps Commanders’ meeting.
He said the ISI chief gave a detailed briefing to the military commanders on his visit to Washington and his meetings there. “The army leadership observed that ties with the US in the future would be based on mutual respect and equality,” the official said. He said the army leadership vowed that Pakistan would continue with its counter-terrorism efforts and in this regard all possible support would be extended to the US, but Washington and its allied states must also acknowledge Islamabad’s role and the sacrifices that it had made in the global war on terror. “The meeting also held discussions on US demand for a new military operation in North Waziristan against the Haqqani network, which is allegedly based in that tribal region. However, it was decided that any decision for a military offensive in North Waziristan would be Pakistan’s own and it would not be carried out under any external pressure,” the official said. He said the military commanders had detailed discussions on the situation on country’s frontier with India as well as the Tribal Areas and took a stock of army’s operational preparedness and other professional matters.