Pakistan steps into war footing

Col. Iftikhar Khan, center, commanding officer of Chakoti border post, shows Indian artillery to journalists at the Line of Control

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- Pakistan is considering moving thousands of troops away from its border with Afghanistan to defend its frontier with India, as the nation puts itself on a war footing.

The Muslim nation has also recalled more than 4,000 troops from a U.N. peacekeeping force in the African state of Sierra Leone, according to Reuters news agency, as the subcontinent rages for the eighth day over the disputed territory of Kashmir.

India and Pakistan both have nuclear weapons and have already fought two major wars over Kashmir since independence from Britain in 1947.

Following a spate of rebel raids on Indian positions in Kashmir and the death of a moderate Kashmiri activist, the South Asian neighbors have geared up hundred of thousands of troops near the Line of Control that divides the disputed state.

The two armies have been trading artillery fire for a week taking a toll on civilians caught in the crossfire.

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In the latest bout of violence, suspected Kashmiri separatists lobbed a grenade at Indian forces in Sopore, near Kashmir's main city of Srinagar, wounding at least three people.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfled has said a war between the two would be devastating. Already the E.U.'s head of external affairs, Chris Patten, has extended a tour of the region to visit officials in New Delhi, after meeting with Pakistani leaders in Islamabad. (see story)

War footing

Pakistan's capital Islamabad is now on a war footing, with all leave for government officials cancelled and civil defense volunteers ordered to attend first-aid and fire-fighting courses.

There are also "intelligence indicators" that Pakistani officials may move troops in the weeks ahead, U.S. officials say.

Since the U.S-led war on terror campaign began, Islamabad has kept regular military forces on its border with Afghanistan, helping seal off potential escape routes for al Qaeda fighters.

If they were moved, analysts say this could harm U.S. efforts to capture al Qaeda and Taliban fighters believed to be hiding in remote areas of western Pakistan.

An assessment by U.S. intelligence suggests that India will conduct limited military strikes against Pakistan, possibly by air or ground artillery, an American official said.

But those strikes could still be some weeks off, given the approaching monsoon season and the deadly heat wave that has hit part of India, making military operations complicated.

There is no indication either country has moved its nuclear weapons but U.S. intelligence analysts have looked at the potential fallout and environmental damage if such arsenal were used in the area.

Restraint

A spokesman for Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf meanwhile warned India against any attack, saying the results "would not be good for India."

Pakistan government spokesman Rashid Quereshi said Thursday his country was exercising restraint, according to The Associated Press.

"We are forced to respond militarily in Kashmir because of the other side firing continuously on the civilian population," Quereshi said.

"But Pakistan's efforts are designed to de-escalate, not exacerbate the situation."

The rhetoric came as India's leader appeared to step back from the strong military posturing that has marked his stance on Kashmir.

Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee said on Thursday he hoped Pakistan would take steps to end what he called a "proxy war" the two nations have been fighting for 12 years.

A flashpoint between the two South Asia nuclear rivals for more than half a century, Vajpayee turned the heat up on the Kashmir conflict when he told troops on Wednesday they must be ready for a conclusive and final battle over the territory.

Around 700,000 Indian forces are in Kashmir, experts say, while the Indian navy had moved five warships into positions off India's west coast near Pakistan.

Vajpayee is demanding Pakistan crack down on militants who launch attacks in Indian-controlled Kashmir and says Islamabad's pledges to end such attacks are not enough.

Pakistan denies it gives military support to militant groups that operate in Kashmir, and has cracked down on radical Muslim groups, banning Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad.

-- CNN Correspondents Ash-har Quraishi, Kasra Naji, Satinder Bindra, Kamal Hyder and Barbara Starr contributed to this report