December 29, 2001	Saturday	Shawwal 13, 1422

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ISLAMABAD, Dec 28: The director-general of ISPR, Maj-Gen Rashid Qureshi, has said that all measures for the country’s defence have been taken, and that the morale of the Pakistan armed forces was ‘very high’.

Replying to a question at his regular briefing here on Friday, Gen Qureshi said, it was not necessary to give details of army and equipment deployments but sufficient was being done to meet the threats emanating from the missiles deployment on the borders by India.

To a question about the latest position on the Line of Control he said, there was a comparative calm in the last 24 hours. The armed forces, he said, were instructed not to initiate any offensive but to retaliate with the same coin if attacked.

When asked about the reports of the army contingents’ withdrawal from the western borders for deployment on the Indian borders he maintained it should suffice to say that we have taken measures to the extent they were necessary.

Responding to a question whether the international community of which Pakistan was a partner had done anything practical to defuse the situation, Gen Qureshi said, all the international leaders including US secretary of state, UN secretary-general and others who have contacted the president have shown complete understanding of Pakistan’s point of view.

Dilating on the arrest of Jaish-i-Mohammad’s chief Maulana Masood Azhar he said, he was put under house arrest for possession of illegal weapons; 20 of his comrades were also detained under similar charges.

He denied reports of Osama bin Laden’s infiltration into Pakistan or being harboured by anyone in the country.