Pakistan will defend itself on Afghan line, Zia warns

Pakistan will take steps to defend itself against border violations by Afghanistan, President Muhammad Zia ul-Haq said after an air attack on a Pakistani border post and a raid by 40 Afghan troops on a border village.

He said the attacks showed a definite pattern that Pakistan could not ignore, adding that because the problem could not be solved by a single action, it preferred moderation and international efforts to settle the border violations.

President Zia's comments seemed to confirm an assessment by Western diplomats that border violations were a way of reminding Pakistan there could be a price to pay for its strong condemnation of the Soviet presence in Afghanistan.