ISLAMABAD, Jan 26: The government will keep in mind the Supreme Court’s judgment of May 2000, while deciding on continuance of reforms in the situation following the election to be held in October.

ISPR Director-General Maj-Gen Rashid Qureshi said this in reply to questions at the foreign office press briefing on Saturday.

Maj-Gen Qureshi, who is also President Pervez Musharraf’s press secretary, said he was not privy to the details in this connection but he assured that nothing would be contemplated by way of such amendments that would alter the constitution in “a very significant way”.

He said that apart from ensuring continuance of reforms, the National Reconstruction Bureau was conducting studies in some other areas such as the balance of power so that it was not concentrated in any one authority. He added that whatever was necessary would be done by the government in the light of the Supreme Court decision.

Accompanied by foreign office spokesman Aziz Ahmad Khan, the ISPR chief told a questioner: “We are not in missile race with India.” However, he stressed, Islamabad reserved its right to test whatever was required to be tested whenever it desired to do so.

In reply to another question, Maj-Gen Qureshi said that Pakistan’s forces, conventional and non-conventional, were enough deterrence to keep the enemy at bay and cautioned the opponent that it should be under no illusion that the nation’s deterrent was its own, and sought no outside assistance.

While planning its defence, he pointed out, Pakistan forces had kept in mind every conceivable possibility from the enemy.

AFP adds: Pakistan had no problems with its defence capability and its “deterrent” was in place, Maj-Gen Qureshi said in reply to a question about speculations that the country’s nuclear installations were not ready.