KATHMANDU, Jan 4: A fog-delayed President Pervez Musharraf’s arrival for a make-or-break meeting of Saarc nations in Kathmandu on Friday, caused a day’s postponement, but a Pakistan spokesman said his country was looking to the seven-member summit, now rescheduled to start on Saturday, with a positive frame of mind.

Maj-Gen Rashid Qureshi, Director-General of ISPR, speaking for President Musharraf, told reporters at a hurriedly-called news conference here that the situation on the border with India remained threatening with virtually the whole Indian army deployed there.

He said that President Musharraf’s meetings with Chinese leaders in Beijing on Thursday had won an important commitment from China, should simmering hostilities erupt with India into an open war.

“India has amassed troops on the frontiers of Pakistan, may be the whole army, that has given India the capacity which is a dangerous capacity. Pakistan’s response has been a defensive one,” Qureshi said in response to a question. He said that the border was so tense “that it does not require much to lead to further escalation.”

Rashid Qureshi said China had assured Pakistan of all the help should there be an eventuality.

“Pakistan and China have a long-standing friendship which, as the Chinese themselves say, is deeper than the seas and higher than the mountains,” Qureshi said. He said after his talks with the Chinese leaders during a stopover en route to Kathmandu, China had assured Gen Musharraf “it will support Pakistan in any eventuality.”

President Musharraf had come to the Saarc summit “with a positive attitude,” Gen Qureshi said. He said in his talks with Nepali Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, President Musharraf had explained the difficulty in arriving on time, adding that he would have attended the meeting anyway “even if took three days to reach.”

Gen Musharraf himself appeared less strident as he met reporters after the elaborate reception at the Tribhuvan International Airport. Speaking about India’s lack of interest in resuming any dialogue at this stage with Pakistan, he said: “If both sides are willing to talk, then it is possible. It can’t be a one-sided affair.”

Asked if he would meet Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee during Saarc summit, Gen Musharraf said: “I can’t say anything about it.” He said Indian External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh’s claim that there was no formal request from Pakistan for talks in Kathmandu was not necessary.

“Invitations don’t matter. Both sides should be willing to talk.” He also said bilateral problems could be resolved only through talks. On Saarc, he said the regional forum has a bright future.

Gen Musharraf arrived in a Chinese plane flown by Chinese pilots from Chengdu. He would go back on Jan 7 to Chengdu, where a PIA plane would take him back home.

Meanwhile, Pakistan stopped short of blaming India for an incident in which a Pakistani diplomat was apparently picked up by the police in Kathmandu with fake currency notes.

Gen Qureshi said Pakistan had taken up the issue with Nepal at the highest level and had got an apology and promise of action against “those found guilty” for arresting the diplomat.

The delay in the inaugural meeting of the Saarc would not seriously impair the agenda, Gen Qureshi said. He said a retreat proposed for Saturday involving the seven Saarc leaders would now take place in Kathmandu instead of the remote mountain resort of Nagarkot on the same day as the inaugural.

Going by the milder than usual tone at the briefing by Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Nirupama Rao, there was hope yet that the two sides could hold informal talks at some level. Ms Rao said India had never closed the door for talks with Pakistan, but had only said that this was not the right opportunity as Islamabad had not met New Delhi’s key requests on action against terrorist groups.

Gen Qureshi too did not foreclose the possibility of that elusive opportunity.

“Pakistan does hope that India will respond to Pakistan’s time and effort in the quest of a dialogue,” he said.