New Delhi, December 30
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee hit out at Pakistan today, saying India had not escalated tension so there was no question of it de-escalating it. “We did not escalate tension. We have not done anything to escalate tension. So where is the question of de-escalating it ?'' he asked, while commenting on Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi's statement in a televised address this morning asking India to de-escalate tension along the border by deactivating forward air bases and relocating troops to peacetime positions. Mukherjee said that there has been no such action on the part of India to escalate tension and its military movements were routine winter exercises. The Indian Army has made it clear that it's military movements were a “normal winter exercise”, the minister added.

Mukherjee said he had been saying all along that terrorism was not an India-Pakistan issue. But the fact was that the Mumbai attack were perpetrated by elements in Pakistan, he added. To a question on the Pakistan Foreign Minister’s statement that India had not provided any evidence about Pakistan-based elements’ involvement in the Mumbai attack, Mukherjee said Pakistan itself had said that non-state actors were involved.

He asked Pakistan to act on that. He said India has provided sufficient evidence to Pakistan and now it was Pakistan’s turn to take action on the basis of these proofs. — Agencies