India said today it had positioned its guided missile batteries and dismissed a Pakistani crackdown on militant groups as "cosmetic," as the two South Asian rivals showed little sign of easing back on their war rhetoric.
Indian Prime Minister Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee's cabinet committee on security (CCS) met in the evening to discuss further diplomatic retaliation against Pakistan following the December 13th attack on the parliament complex in New Delhi.
However, any final decisions were postponed by at least 24 hours in the absence of Defence Minister Mr George Fernandes who was visiting frontline troops in Kashmir.
The two countries have been massing troops and armour on their border since India accused Pakistan's military intelligence of masterminding the parliament attack by Pakistan-based militants which left 14 people dead, including all five militant gunmen.
Mr Fernandes told the Press Trust of Indiathat India's array of missiles were "in position."
Mr Fernandes did not elaborate but media reports said the army had moved batteries of its surface Prithvi (Earth) missiles from their distant southern Indian facilities to the border with Pakistan in northern Punjab state.
The missiles have a range of 150 kilometres and are capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
Official sources said today’s CCS meeting had considered downgrading the Pakistani embassy in India, withdrawing most-favoured-nation trade status and banning the Pakistani international carrier from Indian air space.
India has already recalled its ambassador in Islamabad and announced the termination of cross-border bus and rail links from January 1st.
Pakistan has denied any involvement in the parliament attack and a senior government official in Islamabad said the United States was working hard to ease tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours.
"There is a flurry of telephone calls daily from across the Atlantic to defuse the tension," the official told AFP, on condition of anonymity.
"We are telling them (Washington) that India, which is kicking up the dust, is solely responsible for the current escalation. Therefore New Delhi should be asked to cool it off."
India has demanded that Islamabad act against two militant groups - Lashkar-eTaiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad - blamed for carrying out the parliament attack.
Pakistan has already frozen Lashkar's assets and on Tuesday said it had arrested the founding head of the Jaish group, Maulana Masood Azhar.
AFP