Pakistan Tries To Defuse India Tensions

Army Chief Says Pakistan Must "Avoid Conflict," Despite Reports Of Troop Build Up At Border

(AP)  Pakistan's army chief stressed Monday the need to avoid conflict with India, days after he ordered troops toward the rivals' shared border amid tensions following last month's terror attacks on Mumbai.

Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani made the remarks to a top Chinese diplomat who was visiting Islamabad to try and ease the situation between nuclear-armed Pakistan and India.

Kayani's remarks were believed to be his first about the tensions with Pakistan's traditional rival and could help reassure a jittery region that the country does not intend to escalate the crisis further.

On Friday, Pakistani intelligence officials said thousands of troops were being shifted toward the Indian border, though there has been no sign yet of a major build up at the frontier.

Without referring specifically to the situation, Kayani told Chinese Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei of the "need to de-escalate and avoid conflict in the interest of peace and security," a brief army statement said.

India blames Pakistani militants for the slaughter of 164 people in its commercial capital and has not ruled out the use of force in its response. Pakistan's civilian leaders have said they do not want war, but will retaliate if attacked.

China is an important Pakistani ally and neighbors it and India.

Minister Yafei met with Pakistan's president and prime minister as well as Kayani. Dawn TV station reported he intended to fly on to India, but that could not be immediately confirmed.

Yafei said he hoped Pakistan and India would resolve the conflict through dialogue, according to Pakistan's foreign ministry.

"Conflict is not the solution of the problem as it will only strengthen the hands of terrorists and extremists," he was quoted as saying.

Pakistan and India have fought three wars in the past six decades - two over Kashmir, a majority Muslim region in the Himalayas claimed by both countries.

[presjfk]

Antoniof123, what is the matter with you, you must be one of those homosexual athiests that don''''t want to believe what the bible says, it must be true because it is happening isn''''t it. God is in control, not you nor I. You want to put your head in the sand, thats ok, the things that are said in the bible will continue like it or not. Posted by libssuck3"

If god is in control, I wish he would do something to prove it.

[lochlan-2009]

Nuclear missiles will be flying here soon.

[antoniof123]

War, death, famine, and more to come broguht to you buy the religious zealots who are doing it for their gods.

All religion should go away far away they are the seed of evil the very spawn of satan himslef.