Army, PAF put on high alert after Indian threats

ISLAMABAD - Pakistani troops and Air Force have been put on high alert in the face of “escalation” by India on eastern border and the forces deployed on western frontier could also be pulled back, said the top security officials here on Saturday.
In a briefing to media, senior Pakistani officials revealed that the United States and NATO had also been informed about the possible decision by Pakistan to withdraw its troops from western border as India was involved in troops buildup on the eastern border in the wake of Mumbai terrorist attacks.
“The situation is very critical, tension is mounting and next 24 hours are very crucial,” said a senior official desiring not to be named because of the sensitivity of the situation.
He said, “We’re very vigilant. If there is any threat we are ready for that. We are watching the situation and next 24-48 hours are very crucial. The situation will be cleared.”
Pakistan may pull out its over 100,000 security forces if India continued implicating Pakistan in the Mumbai attacks, the officials said, adding, war on terror could also be affected due to the latest developments in the region.
The officials said If something happened on that front the war on terror would not be Pakistan’s priority and it would take out everything from western border. Pakistan would not leave anything there, he said, while, referring to the western border.
“The tension level is going up. They’re taking this at very rapid speed. They’re giving us signals that this happened from our side. Implicitly, they said you’re involved,” one of the senior officials stated.
He said that there was no involvement of any Pakistani institution in any manner in Mumbai carnage. If that happened by default then that is the failure of Indian intelligence.