India war games alarm Pakistan

Kashmir separatists have been an irritant in India-Pakistan relations

By staff and wire reports

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Pakistan says it has received no warning from its arch rival India about military exercises to be conducted near their common border this week.

A foreign ministry official said Pakistan had not received advance notice of the exercises, India's largest in more than a decade, and would therefore keep a close watch on the war games.

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"The government of Pakistan is therefore watching the situation closely," a foreign ministry statement said.

The exercises involve the air force and army, and are intended to prepare soldiers for nuclear, biological, or chemical warfare, an Indian army spokesman said Tuesday.

Contrary to Pakistan's claim, an Indian army official said its neighbor had been informed about the five-day exercises, which begin May 5.

But Pakistan says it had received information over a "hotline through military channels" on April 17 that India would conduct two separate division-size exercises in mid-May, not the one starting this weekend.

Tensions high

Tensions between India and Pakistan have been running high since they came to the brink of a third conflict over the disputed region of Kashmir two years ago.

Talks have been stalled over an Indian demand that Pakistan end support for Muslim rebels fighting its rule in the Himalayan region.

Pakistan denies direct involvement in the Kashmir revolt but says it offers diplomatic and moral support to the Kashmiri separatists in what it calls their struggle for self-determination.

On Sunday, Kashmiri separatists attacked an Indian paramilitary patrol, killing 10 Indian soldiers and losing three of their own.

Kashmir is India's only Muslim-majority state.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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