Pakistani General Wants to 'Avoid Conflict' With India

LAHORE, Pakistan, Dec. 29, 2008 — -- Pakistan's army chief -- the most powerful person in the country -- suggested today in the briefest of statements the "need to de-escalate and avoid conflict" with India.

A couple of weeks ago, the Pakistani military began reinforcing forward positions near the border with India, including moving batches of troops from Swat and the tribal areas where it has been battling Taliban-style militants. Today one person told ABC News he saw about 60 trucks, including armored personnel carriers, driving on the road away from Peshawar, near the Afghanistan border.

A Pakistani military source called what's going on a "game of chess." The Pakistanis have moved to a 12-20 hour deployment notice, he said, while the Indians have moved to a 20-30 hour notice. The Indian military declined to comment.

The Pakistanis are waiting to see whether the Indians move more troops toward the border. That's when the Pakistanis would take things more seriously, he said, and so far, the Indians haven't done that.

But today's statement by army chief Gen. Ashfaq Kiyani seems part of an attempt to calm everyone down. Kiyani cited the "need to de-escalate and avoid conflict in the interest of peace and security."

On Sunday, the Pakistani and Indian directors general of military operations spoke over their "hotline," a routine event but one that was quickly leaked to the Pakistani press and splashed on today's front pages.

Today's statement went a little further than one made Dec. 4, which said Kiyani "hoped that peace and stability in the region will be maintained."

And it was a sharp departure from a statement made Dec. 19, when the tensions really began to escalate. On that date, he watched an armored brigade practice its firing and "commended their operational preparedness."

Nevertheless, Pakistan continued to move troops, and Indian diplomats continued to be wary of the military's moves and doubted that the Pakistani government would ever truly crack down on terrorists operating within their borders.