ISI Chief Shuja Pasha Turns Comedian

Poor Shuja Pasha he is so much under stress that his already waning mental strength has totally deserted him. Now he is like a maniac hitting out at anything and seeing ghost in his own shadow. I feel sorry for the chap who has been reduced to such level.

ISI's powerful chief Ahmed Shuja Pasha has warned India that any Abbottabad-like attack by it would invite a befitting response from Pakistan as targets inside the country "had already been identified" and "rehearsal" carried out. Pasha's warning came as he addressed the in-camera joint session of the Senate and National Assembly held behind closed doors on Friday. Pasha is facing fire over the inability of the ISI to track down al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Pakistan, where he was living, before he was annihilated by US special forces in a covert operation on May 2.

In an apparent response to statements from New Delhi that India too can carry out strikes inside Pakistan, Pasha said any attack from the east would invite a befitting response, the Dawn reported.

He said that a contingency plan is in place and targets inside "India had already been identified".

Pasha told the lawmakers: "We have also carried out rehearsal for it." Earlier on May 5, Pakistan army and the government had reacted sharply warning India against any Abbottabad-like "misadventure", saying it would be responded to "very strongly" that could lead to a "terrible catastrophe".

The warning had come after a meeting of the Corps Commanders chaired by Gen Ashfaq Pervez Kayani which decided to reduce the level of US military personnel in Pakistan and threatened to review intelligence cooperation with it, if a repeat of "violation of sovereignty" like on May 2 occurred.

Reacting to statements by Army Chief Gen V K Singh and Air Chief Air Marshal P V Naik that India has the capacity to carry out an operation similar to US forces eliminating Osama bin Laden, first Pakistan Foreign Secretary had told a press conference that any country that attempts to "mimic" the unilateral act of the US will find it has made a "basic miscalculation".

India's Response

India is unlikely to give any credence to Pakistan's ISI chief Ahmed Shuja Pasha's threat that any Abbottabad-like attack would invite a befitting response, calling it a "tall claim" to hide his own failure. Brushing aside Pasha's warning, government sources said the ISI chief is not an operational man and the statement was just a reflection how frustrated he was after Pakistani establishment's failure to detect the US raid on the hideout of al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.

"They should better concentrate on domestic problems rather than looking towards India," an official said, pointing to the scores of terrorist strikes taking place in Pakistan everyday, including killing of a Saudi diplomat in Karachi today. Officials said facing all round flak after the Abbottabad raid, the ISI chief is now trying to divert the attention of the Pakistani people by making "tall claims" like the one he has made on Friday.

"We understand their problem. In fact we sympathise with them. Our advise is, please concentrate on your domestic problems rather than looking towards us," the official said, adding that the Indian armed forces are full capable to thwart any Pakistani misadventure.