PM directs forces to keep robust defence posture

• Abbasi chairs National Security Committee at PM House in Islamabad
  ‘Any drone, aircraft violating Pakistan’s airspace to be challenged’

In a major measure to ensure territorial integrity and sovereignty against any misadventure, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Wednesday directed the armed forces to keep a robust defence posture to ensure national security in a challenging environment.
The decision was passed on to the military leadership at the 13th meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC) held at the Prime Minister’s House under the chairmanship of the prime minister.
Defence experts believe that any drone or aircraft entering Pakistan would be challenged and shot down under the robust defence posture and the forces would employ all defence measures to secure the lands, waters and airspace of the country.
The meeting was attended by Minister for Defence Khurrum Dastgir, Minister for Foreign Affairs Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Minister for Finance Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Minister for Interior Affairs Ahsan Iqbal, National Security Adviser Nasser Khan Janjua and senior civil and military officials.
Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (JCSC) Chairman General Zubair Mahmood Hayat, Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Zakaullah, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Sohail Aman, ISI Director General Lt-General Naveed Mukhtar also participated.
The meeting was convened to review the situation and strategy in wake of a threatening speech made by US President Donald Trump during his South Asia policy review announcement. Reviewing the armed forces development plan, the committee decided to keep a robust defence posture to ensure security in a challenging environment, according to an official handout issued following the meeting.
This was the second successive meeting attended by the top civil and military leadership following Trump’s speech during which the American president used hostile and threatening tone against Pakistan. “The committee reviewed internal and external security situation and the threats and challenges to national security in the evolving regional and global context. The Trump policy on South Asia was also discussed,” the statement added.
The committee decided to set up an interagency sub-committee to make specific proposals for consideration in the next NSC meeting along with the recommendations/outcome of the forthcoming Envoys’ Conference of the select missions scheduled for September 5 to 7, 2017.
An official source told Pakistan Today that the meeting decided to form a subcommittee which has been tasked to come up with practical proposals to engage friendly states and to find a permanent solution to the continued US bullying.
“Since the US forces are going to stay in the region due to certain reasons, the meeting decided to find permanent solution to the threats Pakistan faces at its borders. The subcommittee, involving the civil and military leadership, would find permanent solutions to the threats and challenges we face in the region,” the source added.
Asked whether the subcommittee would also come up with the proposals to engage the US in a dialogue, the official said that dialogue was the prerogative of the civilian leadership which would start when the government would complete its consultative process.
“For the time being, we are framing our policy to deal with threats and challenges. Once the policy review is completed, the engagement would start,” the official said. Noted defence expert Lt General (retired) Amjad Shoaib told Pakistan Today that a robust defence mechanism means that all defence systems would be deployed to ensure foolproof security against any challenge including drones.
“We have been witnessing over the years that drones enter Pakistani airspace with impunity and kill at will. The robust defence mechanism means neither a drone nor an aircraft would be allowed to intrude into Pakistani airspace anymore,” he said. From now on, the military, air force and the navy would have to sit down and evolve a strategy to ensure no intruder could jeopardise the country’s territorial integrity, he said.
“All defence equipment from the missiles to anti-aircraft, anti-tank systems would have to be deployed to help prevent any challenge to our airspace, waters and lands. If there is any intervention, the forces would act immediately,” the former general said. Under the new decision, the intruding drones would have to be shot down while any obtrusive aircraft would also be challenged, he said.
“Moreover, if anybody tries to put boots on ground would be retaliated too. We will not cross borders but defence would be robust,” he said. Asked what would be the plan if the US claims to take action against the alleged hideouts of the Haqqani Network inside Pakistan, Gen Amjad said that Pakistan has already informed the US officials that there was no network of Haqqanis or anyone else inside Pakistan.
“Just look at Afghanistan government which today claimed of killing a Haqqani Network commander Mullah Qaand in Lugar province inside Afghanistan. This reflects that the Haqqani commanders are inside Afghanistan. But still if the Americans have any vital information about Haqqanis inside Pakistan, they need to share it with Pakistan and we will take action,” he added.
However, the general asserted that making allegations against a nation which has suffered due to terrorism more than the Americans was unacceptable. He said that any future drone attack may further escalate tensions between Pakistan and the US.