(voa) – The United States is urging India and Pakistan to defuse escalating tensions after the rival nations imposed diplomatic and economic sanctions on each other amid a buildup of their military forces.
The regional crisis deepened Thursday when India announced a ban on Pakistan airlines from Indian airspace and a drastic reduction in embassy staff in both countries. Pakistan responded with reciprocal sanctions.
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell has telephoned British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw and Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov, asking their governments to help ease the crisis through diplomatic pressure.
Mr. Straw says he is deeply concerned about worsening relations between India and Pakistan. He said he had “intensive contact” with his counterparts in both countries in recent days.
U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Washington does not want Pakistan to divert forces from its border with Afghanistan, where they have been watching for terror suspect Osama bin Laden and his supporters.
Both India and Pakistan continue their military buildup along the line-of-control dividing the disputed Kashmir region. Indian Defense Minister George Fernandes says India will finish its deployment of troops in the next few days.
India has accused Pakistani military intelligence of sponsoring the December 13 attack on the Indian parliament, which left 14 people dead, including five suicide attackers. New Delhi demands that Islamabad take firm action against two Pakistani-based militant groups it blames for carrying out the assault.
Pakistan has frozen the assets of one of the groups known as Lashkar-e-Toiba and put under house arrest the leader of the second group called Jaish-e-Mohammad.
India wants the groups to be shut down and the alleged attackers to be handed over to New Delhi.
