By IANS,
Islamabad : Stinging from the US commando strike in Abbottabad to kill Osama bin Laden, Pakistan Army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani Thursday decided to minimise the US military presence in the country and vowed to review relations if Pakistan’s sovereignty is breached again.
General Kayani made his views clear during the 138th Corps Commanders’ Conference at General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, as he chaired the meet, Online reported.
The conference’s agenda was the Abbottabad strike by US Navy Seals, in which Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden was killed. The forum discussed the sneak attack and its implications and military to military relations that Pakistan shares with the US.
Kayani made it very clear that any similar action, violating Pakistan’s sovereignty, “will warrant a review on the level of military /intelligence cooperation with the US,” Online added.
The corps commanders were informed about the decision to reduce the US military personnel’s strength in Pakistan to the minimum essential.
As regards the possibility of “similar hostile action against our strategic assets”, the report said, the forum reaffirmed that, unlike an undefended civilian compound, “our strategic assets are well protected and an elaborate defensive mechanism is in place”.
Taking a serious note of the assertions of the Indian military leadership about their capability to conduct similar operations, the conference “made it very clear that any misadventure of this kind will be responded to very strongly”, Online reported.
While admitting own shortcomings in developing intelligence on the presence of bin Laden in Pakistan, the conference highlighted that the achievements of Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), against Al Qaeda and its terrorist affiliates in Pakistan, have no parallel.
The forum was informed that around 100 top level Al Qaeda leaders or operators were killed or arrested by ISI, with or without support of the CIA.
However, in the case of Osama bin Laden, while the CIA developed intelligence based on initial information provided by ISI, it did not share further development of intelligence on the case with ISI, contrary to the existing practice between the two services.
An investigation, however, has been ordered into the circumstances that led to this situation, the conference was told.