December 27, 2001	Thursday	Shawwal 11, 1422

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WASHINGTON, Dec 26: US officials were said on Wednesday to be growing increasingly worried about tensions between Pakistan and India, and their possible impact on the war in Afghanistan.

CNN said a senior official told the network that there was “real concern” at the build-up of troops on Indo-Pakistan border which he described as troubling.

Bush administration officials are working urgently on the diplomatic and military fronts to try to dampen the tensions, the official said. “We are watching it all (the situation) very carefully.”

According to CNN, the US military assessment is that both sides may be “misreading” each other’s moves as provocative. India moved a number of troops to a “blocking” position along the border “in case of an invasion by Pakistan,” a US official noted. But Pakistan read the move as India positioning troops for an invasion.

US officials said they were concerned that Pakistan might react to India’s military build-up by pulling its limited number of troops off the border with Afghanistan, where it has been trying to seal the border and catch escaping Al Qaeda or Taliban members. Pakistan also could reposition its troops protecting US forces using its bases.