'Pakistan's arms not for decoration'

Islamabad, June 16: Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said that if forced into war by India, Islamabad will respond in a befitting manner, adding that “our arms are not meant for decoration”. “If need be, we will use them against India,” he said. While speaking at an event in Islamabad on Monday, the defence minister severely criticised a recent series of hostile statements from Indian politicians, Dawn online reported. “By issuing provocative statements, Indian politicians want to distract Pakistan’s attention from the war on terror,” he said, adding that India had been “promoting terrorism in Pakistan.” The defence minister said that Prime Minister waz Sharif had placed the recent “threatening statements” from India before UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in a recent meeting between the two in Tajikistan. The Sete last week passed a unimous resolution strongly condemning recent provocative statements made by the top Indian leadership, including the threat of attacks on Pakistani territory. (IANS)