Islamabad, December 24
Ruling out the possibility of a war with India in the wake of heightened tensions, Pakistan premier Yousuf Raza Gilani today alleged that the Indian government was trying to find a “scapegoat” to cover up for the intelligence failure behind the Mumbai terror attack.

“My assessment is that there will not be a war,” he told reporters in Lahore. However, he said the government and armed forces of Pakistan were prepared for all eventualities in the face of mounting tensions between the two countries.

“We are a responsible nation and we are assessing the situation. The armed forces of Pakistan are assessing the situation but I do not think there will be a war,” he said. “If they (India) try to indulge in any adventure of this kind, the people and institutions of Pakistan are united.”

Gilani said there were indications that there was “great public pressure on the Indian government” in the wake of the Mumbai attack. “There was an intelligence failure and they want to make someone the scapegoat,” he claimed.

“We want good relations with all countries, we don’t want a war with anyone,” he said.

India has blamed Pakistan-based elements, including the Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist group, for the Mumbai attack. It has asked Pakistan to take action against these elements.

Pakistan has been insisting that it can take forward its probe into the attacks only if India formally shares evidence about the involvement of the Pakistani elements.

“If anyone speaks to us at an international level, they should back it up with evidence...The evidence will be shared with the country. So we don’t want to jump to a conclusion,” Gilani said. — PTI