Author: PTI
Publication: The Times of India
Date: June 3, 2003
Despite international pressure,
Kashmir would remain an "inseparable" part of Pakistan's national
policy and a key component of Islamabad's overall strategy, Vice
Chief of Army Staff Gen Mohammad Yusuf Khan has said.
"The international pressures notwithstanding,
Kashmir shall remain an inseparable component of our national policy
and consequently a vital strand of our strategy, he said while addressing
the participants of War Course at Naval War College on Monday in
Lahore.
Welcoming the offer of talks by
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, he however, asked the Pakistan
military not to lower its guard in the face of the emergence of the
new peace process between India and Pakistan.
"The recent peace proposal of the
Indian Prime Minister is surely a welcome step. But let me emphasise
that as professional soldiers and sailors, we must never let our
guards down. We ought to be very clear that the only guarantee for
peace is our preparedness for war," he was quoted as saying by the
official APP news agency.
Gen. Yusuf also said that Pakistan
army should beef up its conventional forces if the deterrence with
India failed.
"We must be able to deter aggression
and defend land frontiers of Pakistan. However, in case deterrence
fails, we have to maintain a strong defensive capability to absorb
enemy's offensive, inflict serious attrition, and embroil enemy's
committed forces.
