Islamabad: Pakistan`s armed forces have
to maintain a credible deterrence and be prepared for any act
of aggression as the government makes efforts to achieve
lasting peace through dialogue and negotiation, Prime Minister
Yousuf Raza Gilani said on Monday.
Gilani made the remarks while addressing the inaugural
session for the Pakistan Navy`s wargame codenamed
"Shamsheer-e-Bahr 4" in Karachi.
He highlighted the key role of such exercises in
military planning.
"While the government is making sincere and all-out
efforts to achieve lasting peace through dialogue and
negotiation, it is of equal importance that our armed forces
maintain credible deterrence and remain prepared against any
act of aggression against our motherland," Gilani said.
"In military planning, perceived threat is
invariably based on the capabilities of the adversary and not
his intentions," he added.
Wargames with the participation of all three services
and relevant ministries had become a regular feature for the
military, Gilani said.
Such exercises allow military commanders to take
"stock of new imperatives on ground and undertake a critical
review of old doctrines and tactics," he remarked.
The exercises provide a forum to develop new concepts
of war-fighting to meet existing and upcoming challenges, he
said. The ongoing war against extremism has come at a great
cost to Pakistan though no sacrifice would be "too great to
secure the ideals of freedom and prosperity for our people,"
Gilani said.
"Despite resource constraints, my government has
accorded due priority to meet the requirements of our armed
forces," he added.
PTI
