Zardari asks India to stop fuelling arms race

Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has urged India not to speed up the arms race in the region.

In an interview with a Turkish media house, Zardari, while raising concerns over the 30 per cent increase in India's defence budget following the November 26, 2008 Mumbai attacks, said South Asian countries should focus on humanitarian issues rather than building armies and piling up devastating weapons.

'Countries in the region should focus on eradicating poverty and addressing humanitarian issues rather than building armies,' The Daily Times quoted Zardari, as saying.

Reiterating Pakistan's jaded 'K' (Kashmir) tune, he said New Delhi must start bilateral talks to resolve all outstanding issue between the two countries, including the long pending Kashmir issue.

Responding to a question, Zardari denied any threat to Pakistan's nuclear arsenal, saying they were in safe custody.