RAWALPINDI: President Ayub Khan today [May 25] declared that Pakistan stood for peace but “if war is forced on us we will fight till victory is achieved”. Peace, he said, is essential for Pakistan and for the success of its development programme but defence of the country is top most. “We are not afraid of Indian bluffs and we shall not be cowed by threats,” he said and added “we cannot sit back while Indians mass their troops on our border poised for attack.” The President was addressing a huge gathering of the POF workers from the balcony of the administrative block after a 2-1/2 hours’ inspection of the factories now producing modern, sophisticated arms and ammunitions.

“Our troops are at the right place and if the Indians dare attack us the Pakistan troops will be there to defend the country.” As [the] President said this the workers broke into thunderous applause. The President told the cheering crowd if at any time India attacked Pakistan the aggressors would not find the people and the defence forces of this country unprepared. “For us,” he said, “it would be a war for our very existence”. — Correspondent

[Meanwhile, as reported by our correspondent from Peshawar], the Commissioner, Peshawar division, Mr Masrur Hasan Khan, while addressing a representative jirga of Utmankhel, Safi, Halimzai and Tarakzai tribes of Mohmand Agency at the Commissioner’s House, said that the Government of Pakistan is fully determined to put the tribal areas on way to progress and prosperity and bring them at par with the other advanced areas. Continuing the Commissioner assured the tribesmen that with their co-operation the Government would leave no stone unturned in implementing schemes and projects which would bring prosperity not only to these areas but also help build solidarity of the nation at last.

Published in Dawn, May 26th, 2015

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