US plays down chances of India-Pakistan war

Washington, Dec. 25(ANI): Amidst reports of rising tensions and war rhetoric on both sides of the India-Pakistan border, the United States has played down the chances of a military combat between the two neighbouring countries.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has said that the risk of India and Pakistan going to war over the Mumbai terror attacks is very less.

"They have tried to have good relations with one another, and I think they want to preserve that," the Dawn quoted Rice, as saying.

US Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen also shared similar views saying that the leaders of India and Pakistan wanted to avoid a war.

"Such a war, would force the Pakistani leadership to lose interest in the west (the Afghan border), and bring India and Pakistan closer to a nuclear flashpoint," Admiral Mullen added.

Rice however reiterated the fact that Pakistan must bring the perpetrators of the Mumbai carnage to justice."They are really going to have to take on this issue of terrorism and extremism. They now know it will consume them if they don't," Rice said.

The US fears that the increase in tensions on the eastern border will revive the old India-Pakistan rivalry, causing Islamabad to withdraw its forces from the Afghan border and refocus its attention on India. This will have an adverse effect on the US led 'war-on-terror' in Afghanistan. (ANI)