Islamabad, Sept 06: Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf today claimed that the country's defence has been made "impregnable" and that it can thwart any "aggressive design." In his message on the occasion of `defence of Pakistan Day', which commemorates the 1965 Indo-Pak war, Musharraf said in an apparent reference to India, "Our armed forces are ever ready to thwart any aggressive design of the enemy." The Pakistani armed forces had "thwarted the nefarious designs of the adversary that had dared challenge the territorial integrity and sovereignty of our beloved country," Musharraf said in the statement issued through the state-run news agency associated press of Pakistan. He said Pakistan is a peace-loving country and that its defence strategy is one of minimum credible deterrence. The president also sounded upbeat about Pakistan's economy, saying it has not only shown signs of recovery, but has also emerged as one of the best performing in the region.

"The country is on the point of an economic takeoff," he said.

Bureau Report