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| Pak tones down war rhetoric | | | Agencies
Islamabad, Dec 29: Facing the heat from the US and other major countries, Pakistan's on Monday tone down the war rhetoric and of easing tensions with India and of the need to "de-escalate and avoid conflict".
In the first public statement since the Mumbai terror attack, Kayani, the Chief of Army, which is believed to have huge influence over affairs of the state in Pakistan, backed moves for de-escalation of tensions with India.
A brief military statement was issued after Kayani met Chinese Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei, who was dispatched here by Beijing to help ease the Indo-Pak stand-off, at the Army Headquarters in Rawalpindi near here.
"The Chief of Army Staff highlighted the need to de-escalate and avoid conflict in the interest of peace and security in the region," the statement said.
Pakistan's civilian leadership also continued its 'no war' stance, with Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani voicing opposition to any military action.
"We have never wanted war with anybody... We also want our soil should not be used for terrorism," Gilani said as international pressure mounted on the country to avoid confrontation with India in the aftermath of the Mumbai terror attacks.
During a meeting with visiting Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister He Yafie, dispatched by Beijing to Islamabad to help reduce regional tensions, Gilani reiterated Pakistan's "firm resolve for maintaining good relations with all its neighbours".
Gilani said only "elements inimical to cordial Pakistan-India ties and terrorists had benefited from the situation that evolved" after the Mumbai incident. Pakistan desires the de-escalation of tensions and is hopeful its stance will be reciprocated by the Indian leadership, he added.
Stressing that there could be no parallel centres of power in the country, Gilani described Pakistan as a "responsible and peaceful" nuclear state and said it wanted good relations with its neighbours.
"We don't want any parallel government in the country and don't want the writ of the government be challenged," he said at the campus of the National University of Science and Technology here, without elaborating who he was referring to.
The US and UK have pressed Pakistan to take concrete action against those responsible for the November 26 Mumbai terror attacks. New Delhi has asked China, Saudi Arabia and Iran to use their influence on Islamabad to rein in terrorists operating from Pakistan.
The statements by Pakistani military and civilian leadership came as an Army spokesman confirmed that the two countries had been in touch through the Director General of Military Operations and this apparently had helped lower the tensions.
The DGMOs usually make contact on Tuesday on a routine basis but they spoke to each other over the weekend in an "extraordinary move", 'The News' daily quoted a top military official as saying.
"That was only possible with the consent of top military leaders of both the countries. Apparently, this helped lower the tension," the official said.
The DGMOs made contact after Pakistani officials said thousands of troops had been moved from the militant-infested northwestern tribal areas to the Indian border and leave had been cancelled for soldiers.
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