Pakistan Thursday voiced its serious concern over India’s testfire of supersonic interceptor missile and warned to “take all necessary measures to augment the country’s defence capabilities”.
“We are not oblivious to our defence needs and we will be compelled to upgrade our defensive capabilities through suitable technologies,” the Foreign Office spokesman said in a weekly press briefing held here at the Foreign Office.
India testfired its anti-ballistic missile Ashwin on May 15 capable of intercepting and bringing down hostile ballistic missiles.
Spokesman Nafees Zakaria said “we reserve the right to maintain effective deterrence and Pakistan is prepared to defend its people and borders”.
He mentioned that Indian actions were against the spirit of a peaceful and friendly neighbourhood and “would upset the balance of power in the region”.
The Spokesman said following India’s missile testfire, Pakistan had expressed its concern at the conference on Disarmament Plenary meeting held in Geneva about India’s ambitious missile programme.
To a question about India’s gestures of maintaining relations with Pakistan on one hand and working against its interests on the other, the Spokesman said, “Normalization of relations between Pakistan and India would required sincere efforts, good faith and commitment from both the countries.”
“We have already conveyed that the dialogue process will not be a concession from one side to the other, but with a modus vivendi [arrangement to coexist peacefully] in the inter-state relations,” he said.
