Washington, Dec. 2 : U. S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has said both India and Pakistan share a common enemy, “because extremists in any form are obviously a threat to the Pakistanis as well as to the Indians”.

Speaking to journalists while flying to London, from where she will depart for New Delhi on Wednesday, Rice said the US has maintained very close contact with Britain and co-operated very closely on issues concerning Pakistan and India.

Lahore/Islamabad, Dec. 2: Pakistan’s political leaders have supported the government’s stance on the Mumbai attacks and said the nation is ready to defend the country against any aggression.

Addressing a news conference after a meeting with Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, National Assembly Opposition Leader Nisar Ali Khan said Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supported the government and urged it to take a dignified and firm stance at ‘a critical time’.

“In this charged atmosphere, the unjustified blame game against Pakistan and its institutions should be stopped. If anyone has any proof, it should be given to the government, which will itself take action,” he said.

Washington, Dec. 2: Pakistan’s envoy to the United Nations, Abdullah Hussain Haroon, has said that there is no point in either India or Pakistan, or for that matter the international community engaging in a blame game on what happened in Mumbai last week.

In a letter written to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Haroon describes as ''regrettable'' the attempt being made internationally to "involve Pakistan through its government and people to bear the brunt of the outrage against the Mumbai incident".

Calling the ''American intervention in Iraq'' among ''the costliest mistakes made by mankind'', he writes that the international community is better served by the ''reality of peace''.

Peshawar, Dec. 2 : The Pak-India People’s Forum for Peace and Democracy, NWFP chapter will visit India to decrease tension between the people of India and Pakistan in the aftermath of Mumbai terrorist attacks.

Talking to Daily Times on Monday, the forum’s chairman Khwaja Waseem said that the Mumbai chapter of Pak-India forum has invited the NWFP chapter to India on December 7 for playing its role and decreasing tension between the two nuclear neighbours caused by Mumbai terrorist attacks which killed about 200 people and injured hundreds.

According to former Pakistan cricket skipper Wasim Akram, both India and Pakistan should play a test match in terrorist-hit Mumbai.

Speaking with the media persons, Akram said, “Cricket is not on anyone's mind at the moment, but after three to four days both the countries must take a positive step. I suggest Pakistan and India play a Test in Mumbai so to give a clear message that we will not give in.”

Washington, Dec. 2 : An American expert on South Asian affairs has said that he hopes that Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari will be in control of the country’s premier intelligence outfit, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), which has often been maligned for supporting terror strikes in neighbouring India.