Pakistan's army chief cautions U.S. agasint unilateral ground offensive

Pakistan Army Chief, Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani has ruled out the possibility of an immediate unilateral U.S. military offensive in North Waziristan tribal region, telling members of parliament the Americans will have to think 10 times before going for this, a news report said Wednesday. Gen Kayani did not say at a briefing to the members of parliament defence committee what would be Pakistan's response in such an event, but reminded that Pakistan is a nuclear power and must not be compared with Iraq and Afghanistan. A participant quoted Gen Kayani as rejecting the U.S. allegations that Pakistan was using the Taliban-linked Haqqani network for waging a proxy war in Afghanistan and said that his country was a part of solution, not the problem. Gen Kayani said he had told the Americans that Pakistan would go for military action in North Waziristan keeping in view of the reality, but would not do it under any pressure. "If somebody convinces me that military action in North Waziristan will resolve all problems, I am ready to go for it tomorrow," he said. Gen Kayani also rejected a perception that Pakistan wanted to control Afghanistan and said it was evident from history that nobody ever succeeded in doing so. "When the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union failed to do so, how can it be expected of Pakistan? We do not have a magic wand to succeed in doing what others failed," he added.