The killing of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, in an operation led by the US Navy SEALs on the Pakistani soil, is definitely no ordinary incident. Immediately after the Abbottabad episode was made public, reportedly, a 'brilliant trouble shooter in the federal government tried to belittle the national tragedy by stating that the people must not fall into the trap set up by the conspirators and concentrate on finding solutions for the problems faced by the masses. Even after four days of the raid, no policy statement or response to counter the allegations against Pakistan, of being either involved in a double game in the war on terror or totally incompetent to locate Osama, was issued by the political leadership. Despite the fact that Washington has declared that the US will repeat military operation anytime and anywhere in Pakistan to kill or capture a similar high value target on its own without informing Islamabad. In addition, some Congressmen have suggested the stopping of US aid to Pakistan. At this juncture, only Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, during a press conference in France, rightly said that the spy agencies around the world, including the US/CIA, must share the blame for the failure to kill or capture bin Laden till now. He maintained: There is intelligence failure of the whole world, not Pakistan alone. Surprisingly, a country where protests and rallies are the order of the day, no one is stirred, particularly our civilian leadership. And among the nations taking advantage of our state of paralysis is the threat of naked aggression by India, which is following the unwholesome echoes of sword rattling from Washington. It is certainly not the armys job to respond to such meddling by other countries; national policy and counterstrategies in matters like war and peace are solely the prerogative of the government. The armed forces only act to implement the orders of the civil authority, of course, in accordance with the Constitution. The military, specifically Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman, however, responded immediately within minutes after receiving the news about the intrusion of US Stealth helicopters into Pakistans airspace. The PAFs fighter jets scrambled within minutes to shoot down the intruders. But they had left the country thus saving from the major crisis of a showdown, as the consequences would have been disastrous for the Pak-US relations. Perhaps, having waited for over three days for a formal response from the federal government, the COAS correctly called for an emergency meeting of the Corps Commanders on Thursday to consider the serious challenge posed to Pakistans national security by Operation Geronimo and the measures that should be taken in case such a violation is repeated. The statement issued by the General after the meeting was loud and clear. According to the ISPR, General Kayani has said that more raids like the one in Abbottabad would not be tolerated.The COAS made it clear that any similar action violating the sovereignty of Pakistan will warrant a review on the level of military/intelligence cooperation with the United States. Pakistan has indeed made it very clear to the international community that it loves peace and hopes to maintain good relations with all its neighbours and friends, including our brotherly Muslim nations. But let there be no doubt that should any country even in its wildest dreams indulge in any type adventurism on our soil, it will receive a befitting response. As a final word, the personnel in our armed forces are aware about their constitutional obligations and responsibilities. They have the capability and the competence to perform their professional duty towards the state and its citizens with courage, fortitude and faith in the righteousness of their cause, knowing well that the whole nation stands besides them and they are not alone. n The writer is the President of the Pakistan National Forum.