Pakistan's army vowed yesterday to safeguard the country's territorial integrity under the leadership of its new democratic government, an official statement said.
The statement came at the end of a two-day meeting of army commanders, amid nationwide anger over a raid by US ground troops last week and repeated missile attacks in the troubled tribal regions bordering Afghanistan.
The main opposition party yesterday called on parliament to meet in a joint session to devise a strategy to deal with cross-border attacks after the latest suspected US missile strike that killed 12 people in Pakistan's northwest.
American forces in Afghanistan are stepping up efforts to hit Taliban and al-Qaeda militants in what they call safe havens in Pakistan's border regions, despite stiff protests from Islamabad.
Chaudhry Nisar Ali, a senior leader of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's opposition party, demanded the government convene a joint session of parliament to discuss and devise a strategy on what he called an increasing and alarming number of the US strikes inside Pakistan.
"This is very serious and very concerning to us," he said.
Two intelligence officials told The Associated Press that missiles struck a home near Miran Shah, the main town in the North Waziristan tribal region, before dawn Friday.
It coincided with a pre-dawn missile strike by a suspected US drone Friday in which 12 people were killed.
The meeting of the top brass was chaired by army chief General Ashfaq Kayani, a day after he criticised cross-border raids by US-led coalition forces, officials said.
Addressing the commanders Kayani said that "all elements of the National Power under the new democratic leadership will safeguard the territorial integrity of Pakistan with full support and backing of the people of Pakistan," the statement issued by the military said.
Kayani on Wednesday said that the country would defend its sovereignty "at all cost" and no external force would be allowed to conduct operations inside Pakistan.
The cross-border raid last week by US-led coalition troops based in neighbouring Afghanistan, killed 15 people. Pakistan's government condemned the raid as "shameful," saying that only civilians had been targeted.