Pakistan urged India yesterday to reduce tension by deactivating its forward air bases and standing down troops, but New Delhi angrily rejected suggestions it was aggravating tension with its nuclear-armed rival.

A near-daily, frenzied exchange of words has added to bilateral tensions that touched the boiling point after last month's attacks in Mumbai in which 179 people were killed. India says the attackers were trained in Pakistan.

"I believe if India deactivates its forward air bases and similarly, relocates its troops to peacetime positions, that will be a positive step," Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said in a televised address.

"I believe by this, the existing tension in the region will be reduced," he said, calling for resumption of a dialogue suspended by India after the Mumbai attacks.

Pakistan has condemned the Mumbai attacks and has denied any role, blaming "non-state actors".

But Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee refuted suggestions India was mobilising its military and aggravating an already tense atmosphere.

"We have not escalated any tension, so where is the question of our de-escalation?" he told reporters, referring to Mr Qureshi's suggestions on reducing tensions between the two neighbours.

Mr Mukherjee told PTI news agency any military movement now was only part of routine annual winter exercises. India had earlier said its troops were on standby, although it said it had made no new deployments since the Mumbai attacks.

"There is no no question of mobilisation or escalation of tension," PTI quoted Mr Mukherjee as saying.

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