India and Pakistan say they do not want war, as tension mounts between them.
There has been a sharp deterioration in ties between the South Asian neighbors
following last month's terror strikes in Mumbai, which India blames on Islamic
militants based in Pakistan.
Pakistani Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani
said Saturday that Islamabad does not want war with India, but is prepared to
defend itself from aggression.
Mr. Gilani said, "Only if someone acts, we
will react. We will not take any action on our own." He said Pakistan wants
friendly relations with its neighbor.
His comment came a day after
Pakistani officials said that the military has moved some troops from the
western border with Afghanistan to the eastern frontier with
India.
Tension has mounted between the two countries since the reported
troop movement.
In New Delhi, Indian leaders urged Pakistan not to
create what they termed "war hysteria."
India's junior foreign minister,
Anand Sharma, said the government wants Islamabad to crack down on
Pakistani-based terror groups, which New Delhi blames for last month's terror
strikes in Mumbai.
"The war mongering by Pakistan is unwarranted and
irresponsible. Instead of indulging in this and creating tension in the
subcontinent, it would be in the interest of the region and in Pakistan's own
interest to take action against the two organizations which have been named,
Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jamat-ud-Dawa," he said.
Pakistan says India has
offered no evidence that the attacks in Mumbai were conducted by anyone in the
country.
The Mumbai attacks, in which at least 170 people were killed,
have brought old hostilities between the two countries into sharp focus.
While Pakistan has canceled leave for army personnel, New Delhi has
advised its citizens to avoid traveling to Pakistan, saying it was unsafe for
them to be in the neighboring country. The Indian Prime Minister also held a
strategy meeting with the country's defense chiefs on Friday.
The
international community is trying to calm the situation between the nuclear
armed neighbors. The United States has urged both countries to avoid escalating
tensions. India and Pakistan have fought three wars since their independence
from Britain.