ISLAMABAD, July 16: President Gen Pervez Musharraf on Tuesday urged the need for continuous and intensive peacetime training by the country’s armed forces to maintain their qualitative edge over the adversary.

According to Inter-Service Public Relations Directorate, the president made this observation while attending the opening day of the 10-day wargames being held by the Pakistan Army at the National Defence College (NDC).

The president said by the grace of Almighty Allah the armed forces had the capacity to not only defend every inch of the motherland but also to strike a telling blow to anyone who dared to challenge the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country.

The president said the defence of Pakistan drew its strength from the country’s deterrence capability complimented by faith, patriotism, superior training and devotion to duty of all ranks of the Pakistan armed forces.

He appreciated the concept, setting and layout of the wargames and stressed that it was vital to the military leaders to fully apply the lessons learnt and conclusions drawn in their respective formations.

The massing and deployment of Indian troops along the border had exposed certain vulnerabilities of the Indian army which were very useful in formulating various options.

The process of preparation and training of various formations, the ISRP said, was now culminating in the wargames in which Pakistan Navy and Pakistan Air force were also participating.

The wargames are designed to validate the existing plans of the armed forces and would contribute to the further enhancement of professional acumen of senior officers.

AFP ADDS: A senior military official said the Indian troop build-up had enabled Pakistan’s armed forces to pinpoint loopholes and weaknesses in India’s deployment which were being used to draw up plans “for any contingency.”