Indian minister says Pakistan should desist from "war hysteria"

Dec 23, 2008, 12:08 GMT

New Delhi - As tension escalated between South Asian neighbours India and Pakistan after the Mumbai terrorist attack, Indian leaders said Tuesday nobody wanted war and asked Islamabad not to raise war hysteria.

'The issue is not war. Nobody wants war,' Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told reporters outside Parliament.

Later, at the same venue, Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee said Pakistan should desist from creating 'war hysteria.'

Singh said India wanted Pakistan to make 'objective efforts to dismantle the terror machine,' and added that Pakistan knew what he implied.

'The international community should use its power to persuade Pakistan,' Singh said.

'My request to friends in Pakistan is to address the issue that is terrorism and not raise war hysteria,' Mukherjee said.

The Indian leaders' comments came one day after reports said the Pakistani Air Force conducted manoeuvres over major cities in that country.

India has deployed quick reaction air force and army units along the western border, NDTV television network reported.