Tuesday, December 9, 2008
The comments from Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who also insisted that no surrender suspects in the attacks in Bombay, comes amid rising tensions between the neighbors with nuclear weapons.
India has said that he believes all options open after the last of the slaughter by terrorists of Bombay, which killed over 170 people.
"We do not want the introduction of the war, but we are fully prepared in case war is imposed on us," said Mr. Qureshi.
"We have our responsibility to defend the homeland. However, it is our wish that there was no war."
Indian officials say the hard Lashkar-e-Taiba (E.) of the group, which is based in Pakistan, despite being banned by the government, is behind the bloodshed, and Indian media have suggested that might strike militant camps in India.
Mr Qureshi said he was sending "a very clear message" that his country does not want conflict with India.
"We want friendship, we want peace and stability that we want - but our desire for peace should not be interpreted as weakness of Pakistan."
The minister also said that demand in India for the extradition of suspects in the attacks in Bombay went further in question and Pakistan, the 16 people arrested since Saturday, in which home soil.
"The arrests are for our own research. Although demonstrated that the charges against the suspect, it will not be handed over to India," said Qureshi. "We are against the Pakistanis detained under the law."
India and Pakistan have fought three wars since their independence from Great Britain and nearly reached the fourth in 2001 after an attack on the Indian parliament was attributed in the message.
Under international pressure to act, Pakistan captured a camp of a charitable organization, Jamaat-ud-Dawa, which many believe has close links with the rent, and 15 people arrested.
The authorities are putting into question Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, the alleged mastermind of the attacks in Bombay, is one of those arrested during the weekend.
