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Islamabad: Despite international pressure, Kashmir would remain an "inseparable" part of Pakistan's national policy and a key component of Islamabad's overall strategy, Vice Chief of Army staff Gen Mohammad Yusuf Khan has said.

"The international pressures notwithstanding, Kashmir shall remain an inseparable component of our national policy and consequently a vital strand of our strategy, said while addressing the participants of war course at naval war college on June 2 in Lahore.

Welcoming the offer of talks by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, he however asked the Pakistan military not to lower its guard in the face of the emergence of the new peace process between India and Pakistan.

"The recent peace proposal of the Indian Prime Minister is surely a welcome step. But let me emphasise that as professional soldiers and sailors, we must never let our guards down. We ought to be very clear that the only guarantee for peace is our preparedness for war," he was quoted as saying.

Gen Yusuf also said that Pakistan Army should beef up its conventional forces if the deterrence with India failed.

"We must be able to deter aggression and defend land frontiers of Pakistan. However, in case deterrence fails, we have to maintain a strong defensive capability to absorb enemy's offensive, inflict serious attrition, and embroil enemy's committed forces.

"We also have to have credible offensive capability not only to retain strategic options for ending the war on a favourable note," he said adding that Pakistan needed to step up its indigenous Defence production.

PTI