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Indian FM: No escalation of tensions by India

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

New Delhi, Dec 30, IRNA
India-Pak-Tension
Rejecting Pakistan's contentions, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said on Tuesday that there had been no escalation of tensions by India and that its military movements were routine winter exercises.

Reacting to his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi's statement that India had deployed ground forces to forward positions and activated forward airbases, Mukherjee said that there had been no such action on the part of India to escalate tension.

The Indian army has made it clear that it's military movements were a 'normal winter exercise', Indian official media reported quoting the minister.

Mukherjee said that in response to India's demand that it should dismantle terrorist infrastructure, Pakistan was making an attempt 'to divert the attention, to create tension'.

"We have not created any tension .... first there should be escalation from Indian side, then the question of de-escalation will come. We have not escalated anything," the minister said.

He pointed out that the army had stated that whatever they were doing was a 'normal winter exercise' which is done every year.

"There is no question of mobilization or escalation of tension," he said.

About the investigation into the Mumbai terror attack, Mukherjee said that these were in the final stages and will be shared with Pakistan and others.

The minister told Pakistan, "Please fulfill your commitments and do the job you are expected to do."
Pakistan, he emphasized, will have to act on the evidence India gives to it.

"And there has to be credible evidence that they are acting on it," he added.

He recalled that way back in January, 2004 the then president Pervez Musharraf and more recently President Asif Ali Zardari had given commitments Pakistan's territory would not be allowed to be used by terrorists against India.

"We are only asking that you fulfill the commitments you have made. Kindly dismantle the infrastructural facilities, dismantle the camps ... upto now we have not seen any such thing," the external affairs minister said.

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