Athar Abbas warns Nato attack could hurt Afghanistan cooperation

Athar Abbas warns Nato attack could hurt Afghanistan cooperation

The Director General of Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), Major General Athar Abbas on Monday warned that the latest cross-border attack by Nato and ISAF, that killed two dozen Pakistan troops, could hurt Pakistan’s cooperation on terrorism stricken
Afghanistan.

 “This could have serious consequences in the level and extent of our cooperation,” said the Pakistan army spokesman, Major General Athar Abbas while talking to Reuters.

The DG ISPR also played down the reports that Pakistan army had attacked the Nato troops and Nato’s air attack was a retaliation.

“This is not true. They are making up excuses. What are their losses, casualties?” said Abbas when asked about Nato’s claims.

Earlier a report, citing Afghan and Western officials, had claimed that Pakistan military outpost had launched a fire into Afghanistan prompting Nato and ISAF carry out an air assault.

Abbas said Pakistani soldiers fired at the NATO aircraft in retaliation after notifying Pakistan military headquarters adding that the higher authorities in Pakistan army headquarters had informed their counterparts in NATO headquarters in Afghanistan immediately
but no step was taken by the Nato authorities in this regard.

In the meanwhile, NATO’s secretary-general Anders Fogh Rasmussen has called the unprovoked firing on Pakistan troops by Nato and ISAF as a "tragic unintended" incident and condoled about the loss of lives. Mr Rasmussen pledged to ensure such attacks don’t
reoccur in future.

However, the Pakistan army spokesman said that Nato forces’ regret on the incident was not enough adding that it could result in serious consequences.

Abbas said that this was not the first time that Nato had attacked a Pakistan army checkpoint. He said that such activities had been carried out in the past as well, everytime Nato expressing its regret and promising not to repeat such mistake in future.
He said that he did not think such incursion would be tolerated anymore.

The DG ISPR said that the top leadership would decide the future course of its terms with US and its allies.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s prime minister has said that Pakistan government is re-evaluating its relationship with the United States after Saturday morning’s NATO raid and warned there would be "no more business as usual" with Washington.

Short URL: https://www.newspakistan.pk/?p=4955

Posted by Asma Rafique on Nov 28 2011. Filed under Latest News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry