With reports confirming the upgrading of Pakistan’s air defence along its border with Afghanistan, the prime minister on Friday struck a forewarning tone with the US.
Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani warned the US and its Nato allies on Friday that any future cross-border attack would meet with a “detrimental response”.
Gilani made the comments while meeting Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, the prime minister’s secretariat said in a statement.
“The democratic government will not allow similar attacks on the country’s sovereignty and any attempt in the future will definitely meet with the detrimental response,” Gilani said, referring to a cross-border Nato air strike last month which killed 24 Pakistani soldiers, which dragged US-Pakistani relations to plunge to a new low.
Pakistani security officials earlier said they had upgraded the air defence system on the Afghan border to make it capable of shooting down aircraft. “Now we have a fully equipped air defence system on the Afghan border. It has the capability to trace and detect any aircraft,” an official in Peshawar told AFP.
“The system has also been upgraded to immediately respond after detecting any aircraft or helicopter and to shoot it down,” the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, added.
Meanwhile, Kayani informed the prime minister of the steps taken on the western borders to revamp defence capabilities aimed at effectively countering any future incursion into Pakistani territory.
“The government and the people of Pakistan were ready to provide the armed forces all the necessary resources to bolster its defence and professional capabilities,” Gilani said.
US response
While declining to comment about Pakistan’s decision to ramp up its air defense on the Pak-Afghan border, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Media Affairs Captain John F Kirby said that it was a decision made by Pakistan and they would not respond to it.
However, Captain Kirby said that the US continued to want to have a coordination and cooperation system with Pakistan. “We understand we’re in a rough relationship with Pakistan in the wake of the incident,” he told The Express Tribune, saying that they “are very sincere about fully investigating the incident”. He added that the US was working hard on the military-to-military relationship.
Pakistan shut its border to Nato supply convoys on November 26, hours after the deadliest single cross-border attack of the 10-year war in Afghanistan.
The government also ordered the US to leave the Shamsi Air Base in the southwest, widely reported to be a hub in the covert CIA drone war against the Taliban and al Qaeda.
Pakistan gave tacit support to the programme, but no US drone strike has been reported on Pakistani soil since November 17.
(WITH ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY HUMA IMTIAZ IN WASHINGTON)
Published in The Express Tribune, December 10th, 2011.
COMMENTS (16)
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This is all good. But how about bolstering the capability of border security against border crossings by Taliban insurgents? Are SAMs also the right weapons of choice to repel and kill insurgents using portions of the Durand Line as their ratlines?
@Cautious: Why are you consistently spreading defeatist mentality in all your blog comments? Can you kindly disclose disclose your identity / location? As for the No fly zone, it can only be enforced in case of civil war or in case of being declared a terrorist state by UN. They cant do it unless we officially withdraw from War on Terror and start openly supporting Taliban and other forces fighting Kabul Govt. which by the way is UN recognized how so ever abominable / unrepresentative it maybe.
@Cautious - you must be an Indian, dying to see a war on Pakistan. . . . . .that is why, it is so important for USA to distance itself from India when it comes to dealing with its relationship and Partnership with Pakistan. India wants to cause as much chaos and confusion as possible between the two. The US and India have different motives towards Pakistan. India's motives are triggered by its hostility towards Pakistan and bent upon misleading other countries. therefore, US cannot achieve its goals of effective partnership with Pakistan while following India's advice about Pakistan . . . .these are two conflicts of interest and are detrimental to peace. So, it is upto the US to listen to Pakistan or to India when it comes to policies about Pakistan and Afghnaistan.
First time you shoot at NATO aircraft the site will be destroyed and NATO will make a pronouncement that anytime you so much as turn on the radar the offending site will be taken out - same policy the USA and UK used against Saddam when they were enforcing the "no fly" zone.
More power to you PM.
God bless Pakistan.
You forgot your other borders. NATO is an all powerful evil that's out to get you, isn't it? Such neglectful and naive planning. You're also infested with more intelligence agents than militants so I hear. Where's the heightened security inside the country? Make sure to look under your beds at night for drones hiding and planning. If not that, at least listen for the sinister and muffled giggle coming from it within the eerie darkness.
as i previously thought what pakistan should do,such as building strong air defences along af pak border,install anti aircraft missiles....good to see it happen now
@Narayan: I guess you must be reading history written by your community member :) I have even read about how a Pakistani soilder faked the taking of two Indian bogies through an open radio frequency (when Pakistan didn't had the aircraft to counter these two indian bogies coming in). Those two Indian pilot went back out of fear that they are heading into a trap!
but I saw the drone circling in our area since last 2 days.where is the Air Defense system, or do they mean drone is not included in the definition of Nato cross border attack?
Salam,
Two proverbs must not be fogotten : 1. It takes two hands to clap. 2. If you mash a lime too much it will become bitter.
It is now known that several Pakistani Air Force pilots were killed in both 1965 and 1971 wars because of Pakistan's own ground anti aircraft fires. In a war where the only object is to kill the human being who is in front of the gun, sad things bound to happen.
Does anyone in his sane mind thinks that US/NATO will leave Afghanistan and allow Taliban/Al-Quaida to take over that country ?
Please value human life and happy living not death, maim and tears.
Parents, wives, children, siblings and dearones of those soldiers will continue to suffer till their last breath. Not I ( a commenter ).
Jab raazi hai Kayani, to kya bolega Gilani. (When Kayani has approved, what else will Gilani say.) It's not like Gilani has any influence on this policy. This is like "angootha lagao" (asking an illiterate to put his thumbprint on a document).
Detrimental to whom ???
I can understand 'diplomatic' language, but 'detrimental response' is bending over backwards too far. The diplomat who placed those words in the PM's mouth needs to realize that American understanding increases with more robust words. 'Kickbutt' being the least robust but far more effective than 'detrimental resonse'. To make ammends, start kicking out American Embassy Staff not related directly to diplomatic assignments. All visas issued by thier stooge, the previous Pakistani ambassador to the US could as a first step be reviewed and the results of the review published with recommended decisions. Pakistani public have shown that they want a gutsy administration that does not grovel and cringe. Go for it PM, we are behind you. Pakistan zindabad.
Kayani had already authorized a response on December 2. See here. http://tribune.com.pk/story/301027/kayanis-bold-move-pakistani-troops-will-return-fire-if-nato-attacks-again/.
Questions:
Technically COAS reports to defence minister who reporrts to Prime Minister. So does that mean that Kayani had given the authorization without consulting his superiors? If we say that despite what the parliamentary system would indicate, Kayani is not subordinate to the PM and can unilaterally take ALL decisions that givern the nation's borders, then why does the airforce chicef say that he needs the parliament's approval for shooting down drones? Isn't Kayani therefore the one that has witheld permission all this while?Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani warned the US and its Nato allies on Friday that any future cross-border attack would meet with a “detrimental response”.
Just wondering if drone actors are includd in the definition of cross border attack? in the past ofcourse the drones used to fly from Shamsi so technically they were not cross-border flights. However now if the drones come from an Afghan airbase, will they be met with a 'detrimental response'?
Errr....detrimental to who exactly?