Pakistan Army chief Gen. Ashfaque Pervez Kayani in his order Friday instructed all the field commanders, “instant retaliation if attacked. No chain of command in case of an aggression.”
Gen. Kayani said in a communiqué on Friday, “I do not want there to be any doubt in the minds of any commander at any level about the rules of engagement.”
“In case of any attack, you have complete liberty to respond forcefully using all available resources. You do not need any permission for this,” he further said.
The decision to review the chain of command of security forces stationed at the western border was taken by Gen. Kayani, after consultations with his top commanders in the wake of incursions from west, said a military official. A change in rules of engagement could stoke tension after Saturday's NATO strike killed 28 Pakistani troops.
The change means that from here on in the US-led NATO forces in Afghanistan will also be treated as a potential threat.
“In the past, we were only guarding ourselves or reacting against militants,” said the source.
Another military official disclosed that a proposal is under consideration to re-equip the troops along the border with Afghanistan to stop any future violation of Pakistan's sovereignty.
The increase in autonomy for local commanders is likely to raise tensions in the unruly and mountainous border region, which is porous and poorly marked. Militants and tribespeople alike move back and forth daily, a report on Reuters said.
“There are certain inherent risks in the delegation of authority,” said defense analyst and retired general Talat Masood. “There could be unintended consequences.”
Exactly what happened at the Pakistani posts along an unruly and poorly defined border is still unclear.
Pakistan said the attack was unprovoked, with officials calling it an act of blatant aggression.
US officials, quoted in the Wall Street Journal, said Pakistani officials cleared the air strike, unaware that they had troops in the area.
The US officials, giving their first detailed explanation of the worst friendly-fire incident of the 10-year-old war, said an Afghan-led assault force that included US commandos was hunting Taliban militants when it came under fire from an encampment along the border with Pakistan, the Journal said in an online report.
The commandos thought they were being fired on by militants but the attackers turned out to be Pakistani military personnel, they were quoted as saying.
A Pakistani military official categorically denied the Journal's account, saying the aircraft had already engaged when Pakistan was contacted.
“Wrong information about the area of operation was provided to Pakistani officials a few minutes before the strike,” said the official, who was not authorized to speak to the media.
“Without getting clearance from the Pakistan side, the post had already been engaged by US helicopters and fighter jets. Pakistan did not have any prior information about any operation in the area.”
