The
US defence secretary has cautioned India and Pakistan that South Asian
groups are seeking to destabilise the entire region and could trigger a
war between them.
Robert Gates said al-Qaeda's "syndicate", including the Taliban in
Pakistan and Afghanistan, as well as the Pakistan-based group
Lashkar-e-Taiba, posed a danger to the region as a whole.
They
are trying "to destabilise not just Afghanistan, not just Pakistan, but
potentially the whole region by provoking a conflict perhaps between
India and Pakistan through some provocative act", Gates said during a
visit to New Delhi on Wednesday.
"It's important to recognise the magnitude of the threat that the entire region faces."
India and Pakistan have fought three wars since their independence in 1947.
Tension surged again in 2008 when attackers alleged by India to be
members of Lashkar-e-Taiba, attacked the financial hub of Mumbai,
killing 166 people.
Gates praised India's response to the attacks, but said: "I think
it's not unreasonable to assume India's patience would be limited were
there to be further attacks."
New Delhi suspects the Pakistani intelligence service of
supporting armed groups that target India and has consistently called
on Islamabad to crack down on fighters operating on its soil.
Robust relationship
Gates described India as a vital partner in the struggle against
extremist threats and said that he had discussed how to bolster
US-India military co-operation.
He also lauded India's "extraordinary" financial aid to Afghanistan,
while acknowledging the tension this created as both Islamabad and New
Delhi vie for influence in Kabul.
"There are real suspicions both in India and Pakistan about what the other is doing in Afghanistan," he said.
"So I think each country focusing its efforts on development, on
humanitarian assistance, perhaps in some limited areas of training, but
with full transparency for each other, would help allay these
suspicions and frankly create opportunities."
Gates, after a cultural trip to visit the Taj Mahal on Wednesday afternoon, was to head to Pakistan on Thursday.
Source:
Agencies
