PM says Pakistan would not act first against India

PM says Pakistan would not act first against India


« Previous « PreviousNext » Next »View GalleryPublished Date: 28 December 2008
By Zeeshan Haider
PAKISTAN will not act first in any face-off with India, but is prepared to defend itself from aggression, its prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani said last night.

In a sign of mounting tension, Pakistan has cancelled army leave and shifted troops from its western border with Afghanistan to the eastern border with India.

Relations between the nuclear-armed rivals have deteriorated sharply after India blamed ADVERTISEMENTIslamist militants based in Pakistan for the last month's attacks on Mumbai that killed 179 people.

As the people of Pakistan marked the first anniversary of the death of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto yesterday, senior military officials in Pakistan claimed that up to 20,000 troops were being mobilised from across Pakistan in expectation of an attack.

The United States warned both countries against intensifying the situation, and China and Iran also attempted to step in.

Indian and foreign nationals were killed when 10 Islamic terrorists attacked hotels, cafes and hospitals in Mumbai on November 26, which ended three days later in a shoot-out with police in which all 10 terrorists were killed.

India, Britain and the United States blamed the attack on Pakistan-based Islamist group Lashkar-e-Taiba, set up to fight Indian rule in the disputed Kashmir region.

Although Pakistan condemned the attacks it denied any state role, blaming "non-state actors". It has offered to cooperate with India, but denies Indian claims that it has been handed firm evidence of links to militants in Pakistan.

India's junior foreign minister, Anand Sharma, said Pakistan should take stern action against those responsible for the Mumbai attacks. He said: "The war-mongering by Pakistan is unwarranted and irresponsible."

The tension between the countries has been simmering since last month, and the Pakistani prime minister issued a statement yesterday in an attempt to ease the situation.

Speaking at a ceremony to mark the anniversary of Bhutto's murder, Gilani told Muslim diplomats: "Our friends are trying their best to persuade India to avoid aggression, to avoid any sort of misadventure. But at the same time, our armed forces are highly professional. They are fully prepared, but at the same time I assure you, once again, that we will not act. We will only react."

Intelligence officials said the army was redeploying thousands of troops from the country's fight against militants along the Afghan border to the Indian frontier, an alarming scenario for the West as it tries to get Pakistan to neutralise the al-Qaeda threat.

Analysts last night said a further attack by Pakistan on India would put New Delhi under pressure to act decisively.

With India due to go to the polls in May, India's opposition party BJP has made militant attacks a major campaign issue, and has already indicated it would back the government if it chose to go to war.

The intensifying situation came as thousands of mourners poured on to the streets of Pakistan yesterday to commemorate former leader Bhutto, who was killed a year ago in a suicide bomb attack outside the town of Rawalpindi as she campaigned to be re-elected as Pakistan's prime minister.

More than 150,000 Pakistanis flocked to her mausoleum after some walked countless miles to offer flowers and kiss her grave on the first anniversary of her assassination.

Bhutto's widower, Asif Ali Zardari, took over her party after her death and was elected president in September in the midst of a crushing economic crisis and soaring violence by militants also blamed for attacks on US and NATO forces in Afghanistan.

Zardari yesterday paid tribute to his late wife, saying she "gave voice to the voiceless, strength to the weak and motivation to the people to strive for a goal higher than life".

As her supporters grieved for her and laid flowers in her memory, many expressed their anger that no-one had been punished for the murder. They shouted: "BB we are ashamed that your killers are alive!"

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said last week he hoped a UN commission would be established in the near future to investigate Bhutto's killing.