This is in response to a letter published in your newspaper from Mr Ayaz Ahmad, who says on the authority of Lt Col Shahid Jan, (who visited CMH Peshawar and talked to everyone of the soldiers injured in US/Natos dastardly attack on our check-post), that the soldiers said the bombing aircraft and helicopters remained in the area strafing and bombing for 5-6 hours. It escapes my comprehension that how is it that Pakistan army did not reach to their help during this time and left the soldiers there, at the mercy of the attacking aircraft? Did they not receive the cries for help? Or having heard these cries, they chose not to take action or were they prevented from doing so by our government? The Pakistan army officers and jawans take an oath to protect Pakistan under every and any circumstance and are not bound to obey un-lawful orders coming from anybody in the government hierarchy. All these questions need urgent and straight answers. There is another point. Before this attack had occurred, we had already lost a number of civilians and troops u der similar US/Nato attacks ever since they landed in Afghanistan 10 years ago. Why our government had kept on swallowing one raid after another and the mounting casualties, all this time? Were these Pakistan citizens expendable? Their lives are of no consequence? Are they par tridges to be killed at the pleasure of a killer? It seems our present government is a serious security risk for the country. DR ZAHEER ASGHAR KHAN, Lahore, November29.