ISLAMABAD, Jan 16: Pakistan on Wednesday warned that any unilateral action by a foreign country in its territory on the pretext of flushing out Al Qaeda or other militants would be treated as an ‘enemy attack’ and would be dealt with accordingly.
“Taking action on Pakistani territory without our permission would be considered an enemy attack and treated as such,” said foreign office spokesman Muhammad Sadiq at his weekly press briefing.
The remarks came in the wake of flurry of statements by US presidential hopefuls and several congressional leaders about volatility in Pakistan and the faltering war on terror. Some of whom have gone to the extent of suggesting unilateral strikes against Al Qaeda bases in Pakistan.
He said Pakistan welcomed any international help in the fight against terrorism, but would not allow foreign troops to take direct action on its territory.
Explaining the parameters of cooperation that Pakistan has been receiving, he said: “We have a well-defined cooperation with the international community in the war on terror. We cooperate with the international community in areas of intelligence-sharing, technical cooperation, training and provision of equipment. These are the areas in our war on terror where we are receiving international support and cooperation”.
The spokesman also rejected the concerns being expressed by different quarters about the safety of the nuclear assets, including the possibility of their falling into the hands of extremists and said: “Pakistan’s nuclear assets are absolutely safe”.
“Their safety is the responsibility of Pakistan exclusively,” he said while alluding to Democratic hopeful Hillary Clinton’s proposal for setting up a joint monitoring mechanism for Pakistan’s nuclear weapons.
The government in a bid to reassure the international community briefed diplomats based in Islamabad on the Nuclear Command Authority.
The briefing was given by Strategic Projects Division (SPD), Mr Sadiq said.
In a statement issued later in the evening, the spokesman said the briefing covered various aspects of security of nuclear assets. He quoted SPD officials as having told the heads of foreign missions in Islamabad that all such concerns had been out of the ignorance of people issuing such statements about Pakistan’s capabilities to safeguard its strategic assets.
The spokesman also said that President Musharraf would embark on a nine-day visit to four European countries from January 20 to 28.
The president, accompanied by members of the caretaker cabinet and senior officials, will visit Brussels, Paris, Davos and London.
