Pak may redeploy troops on Afghan border

Islamabad: Pakistan has told the US and its allies in the war on terror that it will have to move its forces from the western to the eastern borders as "threats of an attack by India still persist," a senior government official said Friday."So far, Pakistan has not moved any troops from the eastern borders along Afghanistan but we'll have to take such steps as the signals coming from New Delhi are not for peace but are threatening," the official told IANS.
He said the latest situation had been conveyed to the US and other allied forces. Pakistan had received messages from these countries that they will "persuade" India not to take extreme steps, the official added.
"Security has been put on high alert in the border areas in the wake of the continuous threats by India," said the official, adding that the media in US and some European countries, including Britain, had conveyed reports quoting unnamed sources in their countries as saying that India may conduct surgical attacks against Lashkar-e-Taiba and other militant organizations in Pakistan.The official said that Pakistan was willing to resume peace talks at any level and anywhere as war “will never resolve problems," adding that the Indian stance was only promoting terrorism.
"We believe this is tantamount to encouraging the terrorists as their aim is to bring destabilization in the area," said the official.
Sources also revealed that the activities of Pakistan Air Force have also been minimized against militants in the tribal areas of the country.
Media reports also said that former US National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski has warned about the consequences of a war between India and Pakistan and asked the Barack Obama administration to assist the nuclear neighbours in improving their relationship.
"The root of the problem is Kashmir. But it's also part of a general hostility between Pakistan and India. We can offer our good offices to them, but by and large, I think the fundamental point we have to make to both (India and Pakistan) is: War will destroy both the countries," Brzezinski told a TV channel in an interview.
Brzezinski, an Obama supporter, was asked as to what the president-elect's administration could do to help the two countries come closer in the wake of heightened tensions following the Mumbai attacks.
The former top official in the Jimmy Carter administration, who has been consulted by Obama on security matters, also pointed to the “pathetic” state of Muslims in India as a factor contributing to tensions.
"And, also it is related to the fact that great many Muslims in India are very underprivileged and don't have a share of the Indian development... So there is a lot of residual resentment among the 140 million Muslims in India," Brzezinski maintained.
According to media reports, the Pakistan Air Force is in a state of high alert and was conducting aerial surveillance of the Chashma nuclear power plant, 280 km south-west of here, and other sensitive sites amidst fears of a possible surgical strike by India.
Forces were also deployed along the LoC and the international border on Thursday to protect vital points, the sources said.
Analysts said the coming two weeks are expected to be very important as the situation would become clear on the rising tension between the two nuclear neighbours.