By Imtiaz Hussain
GARHI KHUDA BAKHSH: President Asif Ali Zardari has said Pakistan does not want war with any country but will respond with full force if its patience is tested, warning India against any future act of aggression.
Addressing a public gathering in Garhi Khuda Bakhsh, Zardari said Pakistan had demonstrated restraint despite having the capability to inflict greater damage. India, he said, should be “thankful” that Pakistan chose not to escalate during the recent hostilities, adding that more Indian aircraft could have been shot down.
Referring to last month’s conflict, the president said New Delhi had now realized that Pakistan was fully capable of defending itself. He rejected India’s claims of military and economic superiority, arguing that its forces had been unable to withstand Pakistan’s response for more than a few days.
Zardari said Pakistan’s leadership, including the president, prime minister and army chief, had shown resolve at a critical moment, contrasting this with what he described as a lack of determination on the Indian side. Pakistan, he added, remained fully prepared if war was imposed again.
Recalling the early days of the conflict, Zardari said he had been advised to move to a bunker but declined, insisting that Pakistan’s leadership would face any challenge openly. He said the country’s defence was impregnable and that no hostile designs against Pakistan would be allowed to succeed.
Addressing Pakistan Peoples Party supporters, the president urged them to uphold the democratic principles of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto, and said the party, its workers and the nation stood firmly alongside the armed forces against any threat.
