CHAKLALA AIR BASE, Jan 13: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said on Thursday that Pakistan's defence was not only vital for the country's security but was also critical to the regional peace and stability.

"A strong defence is the best deterrent for any country and the best guarantee for peace," he said here at the roll-out ceremony of the first indigenously overhauled T-56 engine for the C-130 transport aircraft of the Pakistan Air Force.

"Pakistan has pursued a policy of having deterrent capability in conventional and strategic areas so that we can protect ourselves," the prime minister said.

He said Pakistan strives for peace and has no aggressive designs against anybody but added, "We must guard our sovereignty and territorial integrity with all the resources at our disposal."

Pakistan, he said, is located in a part of the world which is seeing constant challenges. "Our external security and our secure borders are essential to ensure peace," the prime minister added.

He said for any country to progress in the 21st century and beyond it has to rely on three pillars: a strong economy, strong security -- both internal and external - and a smooth process of good governance.

"If we achieve excellence in these areas, there is no challenge that the country cannot face," he added. Shaukat Aziz, while referring to the devastating effects of the tsunami, said the Pakistan Air Force rose to the occasion and ensured that the relief goods and medicines were sent in time to the affected countries.

He said the indigenously overhauled T-56 engine was not only a step towards self-reliance, but would also save precious foreign exchange. "We must, as a nation, be able to control our destiny and influence our future through our own actions," he said. -APP