Will Return to Pakistan If Civilian Supremacy is Established, Says Former Pakistan Diplomat

New Delhi: Former Pakistan ambassador to the United States of America Husain Haqqani on Friday said that he would return to his homeland once “civilian supremacy is established under the Constitution.”

His statement came moments after Major Asif Ghafoor, the current DG Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) in Pakistan, said that Haqqani must come back to Pakistan and point out where the terror outfits were based in the country as claimed by him.

In a tweet, Haqqani has said, “Would be delighted to return to #Pakistan when enforced disappearances have ended, Jihadis have been restrained in fact and not just in statements, & civilian supremacy is established under the constitution.”

Amid escalating tensions over the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district, Pakistan on Friday asked India not to ‘mess’ with it and reiterated that it had nothing to with the terror strike on CRPF soldiers last week.

“We can respond to full spectrum threats, we hope you don’t mess with us,” Major General Ghafoor said at a press conference.

He said the ‘battle-hardened’ Pakistani army would retaliate in case of any threat. “We have the right to retaliate if our national sovereignty is at stake,” he added.

While Pakistan was not preparing for war, it reserved the right to respond to war threats from the Indian side, he said. “It’s you (India) who is sending war threats. We’re not preparing for initiating a war.”

The major general’s statement came a week after the suicide attack a local youth, who is reportedly a member of the Pakistan based Jaish-e-Mohammed, in Kashmir’s Pulwama district, in which 40 CRPF soldiers were killed.

On Thursday, the United Nations Security Council had also strongly condemned the “heinous and cowardly” terror attack and named JeM in the statement, despite China’s reported reservations.​