ISLAMABAD, March 3: Pakistan on Saturday made it clear that there was no understanding with the coalition forces that allowed them to target alleged Taliban and Al Qaeda sites in Pakistan.

“No foreign forces will be allowed to launch direct air strikes inside Pakistan’s territory," the chief military spokesman told Dawn.

Commenting on the US senators’ call, newly-appointed Director-General of the Inter Services Public Relations, Maj-Gen Waheed Arshad said that Pakistani security forces were fully capable of handling the situation and had been playing a major role in the fight against terrorism.

He said Pakistan’s commitment to war on terror was beyond doubt, adding that its critical role in securing the Pakistan-Afghanistan border and promoting peace in the South Asian region had also been acknowledged by the US authorities.

He pointed out that the US secretary of state had recently stated that there was no plan to cross into the territorial order of any other country. He said Pakistan and the US enjoyed strategic ties, adding that the US had no desire for direct military action inside Pakistan.

He said that there existed an institutional mechanism to discuss and address issues concerning law and order on border areas. He said that a tripartite commission comprising Pakistan, Afghanistan and the International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) in Afghanistan was a forum where such issues could be discussed and addressed.

The ISPR chief said Pakistan would swiftly act if an intelligence lead on terrorist hideouts inside its territory was given to it.

Answering a question about a whopping increase in the Indian defence budget, he said Pakistan was cognizant of the situation and would take all necessary steps to maintain a credible minimum deterrence.

When contacted Foreign Office spokesperson Tasneem Aslam said that no one would be allowed to cross into Pakistan’s territorial limits for a military action.

Ms Aslam referred to the mechanism of the tripartite commission and pointed out that recently a Joint Intelligence Centre had been set up in Kabul to deal with such issues.

She said that decisions regarding crossing into territorial boundaries of another country for action were not in the jurisdiction of local commanders or the military command. “Such things are usually discussed at the political level and presently there is no such understanding between Pakistan and the other side," she said.

Following the incident of September 11, 2001, Pakistan and the United States have forged a "strong and enduring defence relationship”. While Pakistan captured a number of Al Qaeda leaders and activists and handed them over the United States, the US on its part has pledged $1.5 billion of military financing to Pakistan from 2005 to 2009 to support Pakistan’s military forces, designated Pakistan as a major non-NATO ally and agreed on sale of F-16 fighter aircraft.

AP adds: Ms Aslam's and Maj-Gen Arshad's comments came two days after Lt-Gen Douglas Lute, chief operations officer for the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the Senate Armed Services Committee in Washington that “we have all the authorities we need to pursue, either with (artillery) fire or on the ground, across the border.”

Also on Saturday, Nisar A. Memon, Chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Defence, said in a statement that his country alone would take any action against militants on its side of the border near Afghanistan.