Pak guns for India at Asian security meet

SINGAPORE: Asian security chiefs on Sunday called for greater joint efforts to combat common threats, be it “a terrorist or a virus”, but differences were evident as Pakistan accused India of starting a nuclear arms race in the region.

The annual gathering of defence ministers and high-level officials on regional security ended with a warning by Australian defence minister Brendan Nelson that East Timor could become a haven for terrorists if countries in the region didn’t come together to help stop its slide into a full civil war.

Simmering tensions of South Asia rose to the surface at the forum when Pakistan’s General Ehsan ul-Haq, the chairman of joint chiefs of staff committee, said resolving the dispute over Kashmir was key to permanent peace with India.

In the same speech, he accused India of starting the nuclear arms race in South Asia. He was challenged by an Indian general in the audience who questioned Pakistan’s democratic credentials, but Mr Haq side-stepped the issue.

He also defended his country’s struggle against terrorism, saying Pakistan had committed more forces and garnered more success in the global war on terror than any other country. Earlier on Sunday, Malaysian defence minister Najib Razak proposed a regional humanitarian relief centre as part of an Asian “security village”.

“If we could set up many anti-terrorist centres all over, then I’m sure we can create this region-based humanitarian relief co-ordinating centre,” Mr Razak told the conference, which was also attended by US defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

He said the centre should not be exclusive to the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and could possibly include Australia, the US and Japan.