INDIA WARNED its citizens yesterday it was unsafe to travel to Pakistan and the prime minister met his military chiefs, while Pakistan cancelled army leave and moved some troops from its western border.
The travel warning marked a dramatic rise in tension between the nuclear-armed neighbours after last month’s attack on Mumbai that killed 179 people and which India has blamed on Islamist militants based in Pakistan.
It followed media reports in Pakistan and India that “several” Indian nationals had been held in the past two days after bombings in the Pakistani cities of Lahore and Multan.
“Indian citizens are therefore advised that it would be unsafe for them to travel or be in Pakistan,” India’s foreign ministry spokesman said in a statement. Another ministry official contacted by Reuters said the warning referred to all travel to Pakistan.
Prime minister Manmohan Singh had earlier discussed tension with Pakistan during a scheduled meeting about military pay with the chiefs of the army, navy and air force, his office said.
“The prime minister met the tri-services chiefs to discuss the pay commission issues but obviously the situation in the region was also discussed,” said an official from Singh’s office, who requested anonymity. There were no other details.
Indian media said national security adviser MK Narayanan also attended the meeting.
Many analysts say it is very unlikely the tension will descend into war. The uneasy neighbours have fought three wars since independence in 1947 and came to the brink of a fourth in 2002 after an attack on the Indian parliament.
While there had been no significant troop movements in either India or Pakistan, military officials in Islamabad said army personnel had been ordered to report to barracks and some troops had been moved off the Afghan border.– (Reuters)