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Pakistan army vows peace amid tensions with India
Islamabad (AFP) Dec 4, 2008 Pakistan's military chief Thursday vowed to maintain peace and security in the region, after the Mumbai attacks heightened tensions with nuclear armed rival India. The pledge came as the chief of the army staff General Ashfaq Kayani, addressed a meeting of top military commanders in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, near the capital Islamabad, an official statement said. Kayani said the "Pakistan Army stood for peace and security," according to the statement, which was released after the meeting. The commanders' meeting was the first since last week's militant attacks in the Indian city of Mumbai, which killed 172 people. A war of words erupted when India pointed the finger at Pakistan, and demanded the extradition of 20 suspects it says are linked to the attacks. The neighbours have fought three wars, two of them over the disputed state of Kashmir, since their independence from Britain in 1947. They also conducted tit-for-tat nuclear weapons tests in May 1998. They came close to a fourth war in 2002 following a militant attack on the Indian parliament in December 2001. A peace process launched in 2004 between them has been slow-moving, and mistrust is high. Kayani earlier met with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who flew into Islamabad from New Delhi on Thursday in a bid to defuse tensions in the region. The Pakistani statement said the army chief "hoped that peace and stability in the region will be maintained." Rice, who also held talks with President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, said she found Pakistan's leaders to be "focused and committed" in helping India probe the attacks. Pakistan has been a key US anti-terror ally since the September 11 attacks seven years ago. Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee told Rice on Wednesday that his country was considering all options in responding to the attacks. The United States is concerned about any military stand-off with India that might see Pakistan move troops from the border with Afghanistan -- a crucial area where Taliban and Al-Qaeda fighters have been gaining ground. Share This Article With Planet Earth
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