Islamabad: Pakistan is busy testing its preparedness, in case war breaks out between India and Pakistan. Combat preparedness of air force combat squadrons is being fully tested and assessed. The ongoing defence exercise "Saffron Bandit" is a triennial command level exercise conducted since 1994.

But for the first time, modern capabilities of Pakistan Air Force (PAF) are operating under one umbrella and Pak Army Aviation and Army Air Defence are deployed for undertaking the exercise. This means, the whole exercise is aimed at ensuring how best Pak can engage India militarily if war becomes imminent.

According to a report in "The Nation", Pakistan's Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Khalid Shamim Wynne witnessed the ongoing exercise Saffron Bandit 2012-13 held at an operational base of Pakistan Air Force, on Thursday.

“Pakistanis are a peace-loving nation. I am confident that we as a nation are well-prepared to defend our sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he said on the occasion. “The prevailing complex global geo-political environment and regional threat situation are not only unique but also more challenging, since we face both internal and external threats. Therefore, readiness and war preparedness have attained enhanced significance.”

While interacting with the participants after flying the mission, Wynne said, “The opportunity to interact with the skilled air warriors and to practically fly with them in the exercise Saffron Bandit has afforded me an insight into the high quality of training standards maintained by the PAF.”