Peshawar, Aug 17 (ANI): Reacting to media reports, a senior Pakistani military commander has dismissed as 'speculative' reports of an impending military operation in the militant-infested North Waziristan, and insisted that no decision had been taken so far.
"It doesn't seem so. No such decision is in front of me. I asked one of my officers this morning, 'who is carrying out the operation?' At least I am not aware of any such operation," said Corps Commander Lt Gen Khalid Rabbani when asked if a military operation in North Waziristan tribal region was imminent.
Gen Rabbani said that political ownership and national consensus were pre-requisites for any decision to launch a military operation in North Waziristan, reports The Dawn.
Earlier this week, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta had said that Pakistan had told U.S. military officials that it planned to launch combat operations against militants in North Waziristan soon.
But Gen Rabbani, whose area of military jurisdiction includes North Waziristan, sought to play down claims by Panetta, by saying:
"The decision will be made in Islamabad and not outside. Whenever there is an operation, if there is an operation, it will be done by the Pakistan Army. There will be no foreign signature or footprints. The decision will have to made in our own environment."
"We are ready to launch an operation but the decision will have to come from the government. It is for the policy-makers to decide if this is inevitable," he said. (ANI)
|
|
Comments:
