Indian troop movements put Pakistan on high alert

Indian soldiers load ammunition in the Mendhar Sector on the Line of Control with Pakistan in Kashmir

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- Pakistan said on Wednesday that it had put its armed forces on high alert, claiming that it had detected Indian troop movements near its shared border.

Pakistani government spokesman Gen. Rashid Qureishi said Pakistan is "ready to thwart any attempt at mischief or misadventure."

"We have information wherein India has moved some troops and relocated some air force assets which may too be a threat," Qureishi said during a regularly scheduled briefing.

"This action when seen in the context of the irresponsible remarks of their newly-appointed Defense Minister and also the unprovoked firing that they resorted to two days earlier against civilians in Kashmir … has become a cause of concern," he said.

RESOURCES Message Board: India and Pakistan

India denied it was moving troops, calling the claim a "complete fabrication".

"Reports of a troop build up are a complete fabrication," Indian government spokeswoman Nirupama Rao said. "We reject such statements in their totality and restrainst should be exercised by the spokesman on the Pakistan side."

Tensions between India and Pakistan flared again Monday in Kashmir, when the Indian Army said that it had shelled 11 Pakistani military posts across the cease-fire line, destroying them.

Pakistani officials in Kashmir said two areas had been attacked and accused India of unprovoked firing on civilians.

Kashmir, which has a majority Muslim population, has been a decades-long source of tension between Indian and Pakistan which have fought two wars over the region.

Powell visit

Powell visited Pakistan and India to try and soothe tension between the two Asian nations

Wednesday's announcement comes during U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell's trip to Pakistan and India.

Powell earlier has told his Indian counterpart that the American-led fight against terrorism includes all terrorism, including that faced by India.

Speaking at a press conference following talks with Indian External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh, Powell said: "We deplore terrorism wherever it exists, whether on September 11 or on October 1 in Srinagar."

The latter incident referred to the suicide bombing at Kashmir's state assembly in which 38 people died -- India has blamed Kashmiri militants backed by Pakistan for carrying out the attack.

"The United States and India stand united against terrorism and that includes terrorism directed against India as well," Powell said.

Solidarity

He said he agreed with Indian officials who said the problem of terrorism was "not limited to Afghanistan".

Powell's short tour of South Asia, with visits to Pakistan and India, is intended to bolster solidarity with the U.S. counter-terror coalition and soothe hostilities between the two nuclear neighbors over the disputed region of Kashmir.

On Tuesday Powell held talks with Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf, who has taken on a key support role in the U.S.-led airstrikes over Afghanistan.

Musharraf has agreed to provide the United States with logistical and intelligence support and allowed planes to use Pakistani airspace on the way to Afghanistan.