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| India-Pakistan |
| Pak air force on 'alert' for Indian strike |
| 2008-12-23 |
| (AKI) - By Syed Saleem Shahzad - Pakistan's air force was on high alert on Monday as relations with India appeared to deteriorate further after the Mumbai terror attacks. Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee announced that the peace process between the two countries was on hold and that all options were "open" if Pakistan did not take action against militants linked to the attacks. As US Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was in Pakistan to discuss regional security and the fight against terrorism, sources said fighter aircraft were conducting surveillance to protect strategic locations in Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore, ahead of a possible Indian air strike. Amid reports that India had deployed troops on the Pakistani border and increased security, Mukherjee (photo) accused Islamabad of "shifting the blame" for the deadly bomb attacks on two Mumbai hotels which killed 173 people. The Lahore offices of militant group Jamaat-ud-Dawa, formerly Lashkar-e-Toiba, and its headquarters in Mureedkey near Lahore are considered to be a prime target, as well as suspected base camps of Kashmiri militants in Pakistani-administered Kashmir. India has blamed a Lashkar-e-Toiba affiliate for the Mumbai attacks, which began on 26 November and ended three days later. "Indian aircraft violated Pakistan's territory in the recent past as well and it was clear that they wanted to test Pakistan's nerves," a senior strategic expert, Retired Lt. General Kamal Mateenuddin told Adnkronos International (AKI). "Pakistan Air Force aircraft forced them to return. The tone of the Indian leadership once again rings alarm bells that Indian could try for a surgical strike inside Pakistan." However, Pakistan's Minister of Defence Ahmad Mukhtar disagreed. "Forget that India and Pakistan will engage in any battle. We are exploring ways to diffuse the tension and the tension will definitely be diffused," he told journalists in Islamabad. "Both countries are cognizant of the fact that war is no solution and the issues can only be resolved through dialogue." Former Pakistani Ambassador Shahid Amin told Adnkronos International (AKI) that Pakistan had to accept international pressure to clamp down on militants. "This situation is about to press Pakistan so that the country accept the terms," Shahid Amin said. "India and western countries are together in this demand and even our most trusted friend China is also willing to crack down against the militants. I don't think that war will be the outcome of this situation." |
| Posted by:Fred |