December 28, 2008	Sunday	Zilhaj 29, 1429

ISLAMABAD, Dec 27: Pakistan again said on Saturday it did not want a war with India.

“We don’t want to have aggression with our neighbours. We want to have friendly relations with our neighbours,” Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said at his official residence.

“I assure you once again that we will not act. We will only react,” he added, as he led a special prayer ceremony in honour of Benazir Bhutto.

Both Islamabad and New Delhi have repeatedly said they do not want war and have called on the other to tone down the rhetoric but warn they would act if provoked.

Meanwhile, Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee has again called on Pakistan to do more to crack down on Lashkar-e-Taiba, the militant group that New Delhi says masterminded the Mumbai attacks.

“I appeal to Pakistan and Pakistani leaders --- do not unnecessarily try to create tension,” Mr Mukherjee said in the eastern Indian town of Behrampur.

“Do not try to deflect the issue. A problem has to be tackled face to face. Evading a problem will not help to get rid of it.”—AFP