These questions raised need to be answered by someone in a position of authority.
KARACHI: This is with reference to a report in your newspaper of December 2 titled “Pakistan planes would have engaged NATO in attack: Army”. This says that the army, through ISPR, has publicly said that there was a break in communications. To quote from the statement: “The response could have been more effective if PAF (Pakistan Air Force) had also joined in. However, it was no fault of PAF”. Further, it said that a “timely decision could not be taken due to breakdown of communication with the affected posts and, therefore, lack of clarity of situation, at various levels, including the Corps Headquarters and GHQ (General Headquarters).”
This raises the very serious issue of performance. Why did the military’s communication system not work? After the May 2 raid in Abbottabad, when US helicopters intruded deep inside Pakistan territory, it came to light that the country’s air defence systems were not fully operational at that time. So wasn’t any planning done to address this issue? Also, doesn’t the military prepare its soldiers through training and drills etc. to be better prepared for any kind of attack on Pakistani soil by a foreign force. These questions need to be answered by someone in a position of authority because the armed forces, year after year, get the chunk of the federal budget.
Nadya Khan
Published in The Express Tribune, December 4th, 2011.
