Friday, 18 January 2002 |
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War with India could break out at any time: Pakistani minister DOHA, Jan 16 (AFP) - A Pakistani minister warned here Wednesday that war with India could still break out at any time and criticised the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) for not playing a role in defusing the crisis. "India has been urged by everybody to de-escalate, to pull back forces, because the way the forces are, any incident can spark the war," Pakistan's Communications Minister Javed Ashraf told a press conference. "So far the response has been arrogant. If they don't pull back the forces, the threat of war remains," he said after meeting with Qatar's emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani. Ashraf criticised the 57-member OIC, of which Sheikh Hamad currently holds the rotating presidency. "I told him (the emir) about the disappointment with the OIC that prevails amongst the people of Pakistan for not doing anything to resolve the issues that are facing the Muslim world," he said. "The organisation, if it has to be meaningful, has got to play a role in such disputes," like Pakistan's crisis with India, he said. "All we are asking is that the OIC should persuade both sides to de-escalate." |
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