17 July 2004	Saturday	28 Jamadi-ul-Awwal 1425

WASHINGTON, July 16: US Secretary of State Colin Powell has said that two years ago he was "worried to death" that a major war may break out between India and Pakistan.

Mr Powell was referring to the events that followed a terrorist attack on the Indian parliament on Dec 13, 2001.

Using the attack as an excuse, India deployed some 700,000 troops to frontline positions along the international border and the line of control in Kashmir. Pakistan responded by deploying an estimated 250,000 to 300,000 troops.

The heavy mobilisation almost erupted into a war and between January and May 2002, and both sides also deployed nuclear-capable missiles in some areas, causing fears that the rapidly deteriorating situation could led to a nuclear confrontation in one of the world's most populous regions.

"Two years ago, I was worried to death that we might see a major war break out between India and Pakistan," said Mr. Powell in his address to the US Institute of Peace in Washington on Thursday.

By the end of October 2002, India began withdrawing troops from forward positions along the international border, while maintaining an estimated 250,000 troops on the LoC. A month later, Pakistan reciprocated, ending one of the largest troop-mobilisation in South Asia.

The redeployment led to a major improvement in bilateral relations between India and Pakistan, noted Mr. Powell. "And now we see them working together, having meetings amongst themselves, having soccer (cricket) matches with each other," he said.

Now India and Pakistan, he said, were working on issues "that would have been too difficult to even imagine just a year and a half, two years ago." The US strategy of developing friendly relations with both India and Pakistan, he said, has also contributed to reducing tensions in South Asia.

"We look at them as two proud nations we're working with individually, and because we respect them individually we can help them work together as they solve mutual problems," he said. With Pakistan's help, he said, the US was able to defeat the Taliban and was now working with the Afghan government to hold Afghanistan's first direct elections.