January 22, 2003	Wednesday	Ziqa’ad 18, 1423

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ISLAMABAD, Jan 21: President’s spokesman Maj-Gen Rashid Qureshi on Monday said that no meaningful withdrawal of Indian army had taken place from the Line of Control (LoC).

“Though the withdrawal of Indian army has taken place at the eastern border, the de-escalation from the Kashmir or Northern Areas cannot be called meaningful,” said Mr Qureshi while talking to reporters here at a local hotel.

Everybody knows that it was our policy not to initiate any offensive at the LoC. “Rather, we always respond in our defence whenever India targets our civilians or military installations.”

He said that shelling from across the border “has continued unabated” during the last week.

To a question, he said that Pakistan was keeping its army at the LoC only to counter any Indian aggression.

Referring to the recent tests of Akash missile by India, he said these were of no consequence to Pakistan as “we have enough deterrence to frustrate any Indian designs.”

The purpose of surface-to-air missile test was only to create tension in the region but India failed to take any advantage out of it, he said.

Though Pakistan has never been in the arms race, “our recent missile test has proved to be very effective,” he added.

He brushed aside the impression that power still flows from the presidency despite the installation of a civilian government, saying that Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali “enjoys complete command and power”. He said all the ministries were working under the directions of the prime minister as well as the cabinet.

He categorically stated that Nawaz Sharif could not come to Pakistan though he conceded that members of his extended family were allowed to visit Pakistan for ten days on their own request. The act of allowing them the permission to come to Pakistan “shows the government’s magnanimity,” he said.

About the economic revival, he said that financial policies of the past three years had put the country at a take-off position. “Today the situation is 1,000 times better than what it was like during the previous civilian government.”

Now the economic growth has created confidence and everybody is talking about growth, he added.

He said that nobody could point out any instance of corruption or nepotism during the three-year rule of President Musharraf.

He however avoided a direct question about what Pakistan gained from supporting the US in the war against terrorism, saying the journalists should ask this question from the government functionaries.