WikiLeaks: Zardari said Singh deserves respect

The Pakistani President also justified his ‘suspicion of India’ by pointing to ‘recent confirmation’ about the involvement of Indians in the Mumbai attack. Keen to break the deadlock between the two countries,Kerry asked Zardari to come up with ‘specific offers’ for the Indian government.

The US senator even went on to say that India would ‘compromise’ on issues like Kashmir if Pakistan works on the counter-terrorism front. “Kerry said that cooperation on counter-terrorism with the Indians could lead to Indian compromises on key Pakistani issues such as Kashmir and water use in subsequent meetings,” the cable reads. “You could arrive at a surprising consensus of mutual understanding,” Kerry is quoted as saying.

While conceding that dialogue is the only way forward,Zardari claimed that India had increased its military spending by 30 per cent that year,suggesting that it was a direct threat to Pakistan. “When Kerry pointed out the Chinese threat to India,Zardari responded that Indian tanks cannot operate in the Chinese border region and could only be intended for an attack on Pakistan. India has 4,700 tanks,he explained,while Pakistan has only 2,600. “Capability creates a fear,” the cable quotes him as saying.

Zardari at one point also pleads with Kerry for a ‘deal’ with the US that would ‘strengthen his political position’. “Zardari said he needs a ‘deal’ to show his people that he has something to offer them,and that assistance and trade concessions were prerequisites to ‘be able to think about India’,” the cable reads.