Pak capable of thwarting 'aggression' from the east: Zardari

Amid a war of words with India over the Mumbai attacks, Pak Prez Asif Ali Zardari said India should not underestimate Pakistan's military power because it is "capable of thwarting any aggression from the east."See special

Amid a war of words with India over the Mumbai terror attacks, Pakistan has said its armed forces were fully capable of "thwarting any aggression from the east" and New Delhi should not underestimate its military might.

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India should not underestimate Pakistan's military power because it is "capable of thwarting any aggression from the east", President Asif Ali Zardari said at a meeting with Gen Tariq Majid, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, in Islamabad on Tuesday night.

Majid told the president that the armed forces were fully capable of meeting any eventuality on the eastern front, Dawn News channel said.

Separately, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said while the operational preparedness of the armed forces was at an "optimal level," both Pakistan and India cannot afford tension along their border.

"Nobody wants tensions on the borders and we are moving responsibly and with caution," Gilani told reporters on the sidelines of an official ceremony in Islamabad.

The military is fully capable of defending Pakistan's territorial integrity, he said, adding that the operational preparedness of the armed forces is at an "optimal level".

The nation and the army are united to defend the country and its territorial integrity, he added.

"The government is aware of the situation in the region and will act as things move," Gilani said.

During a meeting with Shahid Malik, Pakistan's High Commissioner to India, Zardari said Islamabad wants good relations with New Delhi but "on the basis of sovereign equality".