No threat of US attack on Pak Tribal Areas

Islamabad, Jul 20: Pakistan Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar has ruled out any possibility of an attack by American armed forces in the country's volatile and insurgent-hit Tribal areas. Addressing reporters after a meeting of Senate Standing Committee on Defence, Mukhtar said: "There is no threat to us. North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) forces have no intention to launch any offensive inside our western border."

The Daily Times quoted Mukhtar, as saying that the US was watching its own interest in the war on terror while Pakistan had to watch its own. He further said the government was concerned about the situation along the Pak-Afghan border and some US officials' threats in this regard were being investigated.

The government had also ordered an investigation into the accusations levelled by Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai about Pakistan's intelligence agencies being involved in bombing the Indian embassy in Kabul for July 7, he said.

Earlier, the Senate body meeting, chaired by Nisar A Memon passed a unanimous resolution to condemn Karzai's statements against Pakistan.

The committee has directed the Defence Ministry and Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to arrange a detailed briefing on the government's emergency plan, especially about its preparedness at airports, in case of an attack on Pakistan.

Defence Secretary Kamran Rasool and CAA Director General Farooq Rehmatullah briefed the committee about the draft national aviation policy, and assured that the draft policy would soon be submitted to cabinet for its final approval.

ANI