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India Says War May Be On The Horizon
New Delhi (AFP) Jan 11, 2002 New Delhi kept up the pressure on Islamabad Friday saying it was ready for war or even nuclear strikes by Pakistan if regional tensions spiralled out of control. Indian troops also claimed to have killed 10 Pakistani soldiers in cross-border firing, but this was swiftly denied by a Pakistan military spokesman. The warning from India's tough-talking army chief General S. Padmanabhan came as Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf was preparing to address the nation on Saturday. His speech was expected to announce curbs on Muslim militants in a bid to defuse the most serious crisis between the rivals in 30 years. Padmanabhan warned that if Islamabad dared to unleash its nuclear arms, India was prepared to retaliate with its own arsenal. "The perpetrator of that particular outrage shall be punished, shall be punished so severely that the continuation of any form of fray will be doubtful," he said. India has adopted a no-first-strike policy over its nuclear weapons, unlike Pakistan. But Padmanabhan warned: "We are ready for a second strike. Take it from me that we have enough" arms. Padmanabhan reiterated the official Indian government line that Pakistan must take tougher action against anti-Indian Islamic militants based on its soil and added New Delhi knew how to strike against their training camps. India has accused Islamabad of failing to crack down on extremist groups, including two New Delhi blames for the December 13 suicide attack on the Indian parliament which triggered the current crisis. Pakistani authorities have arrested the leaders and other members of Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba, but New Delhi says that Islamabad has not gone far enough. The Indian government has demanded the handover of 20 militants named on a list it provided to Pakistan as well as the closure of training camps and arms supply routes.
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