Washington: As a sovereign nation Pakistan
has the right to self-defence, so does the US, the Pentagon
has asserted amid reports from Islamabad that Pakistan Army
Chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani had issued direction that
his commanders on the Af-Pak border can return fire without
permission.
Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt John Kirby told reporters
that the last week's NATO bombing that killed 24 Pakistani
soldiers along the Afghanistan border has had a chilling
effect on the relationship between the two countries.
"I think it's safe to say that the incident has had a
chilling effect on our relationship with the Pakistani
military, no question about that. Both sides deem it to be as
serious as it was," Kirby told reporters at a Pentagon
briefing.
"I've seen the comments attributed to General Kayani. I'm
certainly not going to speak for him or for the government of
Pakistan. But every sovereign nation has the right of
self-defence and the right to order their troops to defend
themselves. That's what my understanding is what he did: He
reiterated their right of self-defence. We certainly respect
that right of his. We have it as well," Kirby said.
PTI
First Published: Saturday, December 03, 2011, 09:01