World | Pakistan
Top intelligence official sees no chance of war with India
Pakistan's intelligence chief said there will not be war with India over the Mumbai attacks and emphasised terrorism - not India - was the greatest threat to the country, according to a rare interview.
- AP
- Published: 23:38 January 7, 2009
Islamabad: Pakistan's intelligence chief said there will not be war with India over the Mumbai attacks and emphasised terrorism - not India - was the greatest threat to the country, according to a rare interview.
Lieutenant General Ahmad Shujaa Pasha also told German news magazine Der Spiegel that his powerful Inter-Services Intelligence agency - thought to have a high degree of independence - was under the control of the recently elected civilian government.
India blames Pakistani militants for the November attacks on targets in Mumbai that killed more than 160 people.
The charges have raised tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours, which have fought three wars in 60 years.
'Propaganda'
On Tuesday, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Pakistani state agencies must have had a hand in the attacks, charges dismissed by Islamabad as "propaganda".
Pasha told the magazine that "there will not be war." "We are distancing ourselves from conflict with India, both now and in general," he said.
Pasha seldom gives interviews to reporters, and one of his aides said yesterday that the comments made in early December were meant to be off the record.
The aide spoke on condition of anonymity.
India has said the gunmen had connections to the Pakistan-based terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba and gave Islamabad evidence it said proves those accusations.
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