News
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Army refuses to accept ‘expressions of regret’* ISPR says strikes lasted two hours and continued even after commanders at bases pleaded with coalition forces to stop
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday denied provoking NATO air strikes that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers and refused to accept expressions of regret over the cross-border attack that has inflamed US-Pakistani ties.
While rejecting NATO’s claim that Pakistan forces initiated fire, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Major General Athar Abbas said, “NATO forces should present proof if they were claiming that firing was started from Pakistani side.”
Talking to a private television channel he said, “No fire was opened from our side and we responded only after the martyrdom of our soldiers.”
Abbas said that NATO had been provided maps of all Pakistani checkposts as reference and they had also been informed about their positions.
He also said that the attack took place within 200-300 metres within Pakistan’s borders, adding that the area had been cleared of militants.
When attack was initiated, the soldiers deployed on these posts immediately informed the senior officers who took up the issue with regional headquarters at Peshawar and GHQ Rawalpindi.
They informed that the posts were being attacked. We received information of the martyrdom of 24 soldiers after mortar shelling was stopped from across the border, he added.
Abbas said the attack lasted almost two hours and that commanders had contacted NATO counterparts while it was going on, asking that “they get this fire to cease, but somehow it continued.”
“This could have serious consequences in the level and extent of our cooperation,” he said.
He said that NATO could not make the excuse that they were chasing terrorists across the border because the area where the attack took place had been cleared. He said that the investigations were still going on about the two posts namely Volcano and Golden made beyond Salala.
He said that any NATO soldier was not injured as result of firing from Pakistani side.
Responding to a question, he said that he would not speculate regarding apology of NATO.
“Our leadership is reviewing it whether it was an unprovoked attack,” he added. agencies
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk