ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Dec. 29, 2008

Pakistan Tries To Defuse India Tensions

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

  • In this handout photo released by Inter-Services Public Relations department of Pakistan, Army, Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, right, Chief of Pakistan army meets visiting Chinese Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei at General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, Pakistan on Dec. 29, 2008.

    In this handout photo released by Inter-Services Public Relations department of Pakistan, Army, Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, right, Chief of Pakistan army meets visiting Chinese Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei at General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, Pakistan on Dec. 29, 2008.  (AP Photo)

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(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.

© MMVIII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Add a Comment
by presjfk December 29, 2008 5:06 PM EST
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.
Reply to this comment
by lochlan-2009 December 29, 2008 3:33 PM EST
Nuclear missiles will be flying here soon.
Reply to this comment
by j_mack5 December 29, 2008 2:49 PM EST
We always forget the Golden Rule: "Do not do unto others what you would not want them do unto you".

Google "FBI LTTE" to learn more about the most coldblooded terrorist org in the world.

Google "Pakistan reveals LTTE-India links" to learn how India is involved in global terror.

Were you aware that when the LTTE Terrorists were starting out in the 80''s, the first terrorist training camps were openly based in Tamil Nadu, India? Weapons to arm this viscous terror group were supplied by Tamils living there and funded by Tamils worldwide. The Indian government headed by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and the state of Tamil Nadu did nothing to stop it. Governments worldwide knew about the narco-terrorism and funding for arms run by Tamils, but did almost nothing. As you know, today Tamil Nadu India is used extensively as an illegal arms smuggling base to terrorists in Sri Lanka by the Tamils and is great example where a state government can be successfully manipulated to serve global terror. In October, 2008, the LTTE Terrorists thanked the Tamil Nadu government for their attempts to spread false propaganda to stop the military campaign to liberate LTTE held areas.
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by antoniof123 December 29, 2008 2:40 PM EST
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.
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