ISLAMABAD: Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani has said that United States should have to think “10 times” before taking any unilateral action against Pakistan. Pakistan is not like Afghanistan or Iraq. Some of the parliamentarians of the defence committees of parliament on condition of anonymity told a foreign news agency that COAS during a briefing told parliaments defence committees on Wednesday said that the United States should focus on stabilizing Afghanistan instead of pushing Pakistan to attack militant groups in a crucial border region.
General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani also said Pakistan alone will decide if and when to launch a full-scale offensive in the North Waziristan Agency against militants, adding that if anybody will make us agree that military operation in North Waziristan is solution of all problems the army is ready to take action on the next day.
He said the United States would have to think “10 times” before taking any unilateral action there. Pakistan is not like Iraq or Afghanistan and Pakistan is an atomic country. He also rejected the allegations of US that Pakistan is using Haqqani network for proxy war in Afghanistan and said that “The problem lies in Afghanistan, not Pakistan”, adding that Pakistan did not want to face any challenge in its Eastern and Western frontiers.
He said that Pakistan told US that it did not need military aid, in response to this statement he had received a telephone call from Washington asking the meaning of this statement. Replying to the question he said that meaning is same which he said; meanwhile he said that Pakistan had received only 20 percent of Kerry Lugar Bill. Regarding the allegations on ISI of having contacts with the militant groups, he said that the secret agencies of all over the world have contacts with these groups and using their contacts positively.
He said that amendments bill of Anti Terrorist Act 1997 is in Senate Committee from last year, adding that it is the need of hour to make amendment in the law for the people involved in terrorist activates.