ISLAMABAD, Dec 30: Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar on Sunday said US President George W. Bush has urged India and Pakistan to exercise effective intercession to halt and reverse the momentum of tension.

Talking to newsmen here, he said: “Our anxieties are mounting not by the day, but by the hour as we receive information about the movement of Indian forces on the border.”

He was asked to comment on the border situation and the telephonic contact made by the US president.

Pakistan has taken substantive and expeditious measures over the last few days and accounts and assets of five groups have been frozen. The government of Pakistan, in some cases, is awaiting evidence, especially from India, before we can begin a process of prosecution, Abdul Sattar said.

“At the moment, we are hearing accusations from across the border. We want ‘actionable’ evidence so that we can begin judicial process. We are ready to move but you cannot proceed without any evidence,” he added.

He said that he was going to Kathmandu and “we hope that the presence of Indian colleagues would provide an opportunity for talks subject to the willingness of the other side.”

Responding to a question, the foreign minister said that everybody, not only in Pakistan, but in South Asia, was aware that tension was rising dangerously as India moved bulk of its forces from peacetime locations to close to the border.

Pakistan, he stated, would have no alternate but to enhance its capabilities on the border. When the preparations go at the rate at which they have over the last week, that is a worrying signal, Sattar said when asked about the risk of war. —APP