NEW DELHI/ISLAMABAD, 12 January — New Delhi kept up the pressure on Islamabad yesterday saying it was ready for war or even nuclear strikes by Pakistan if regional tensions spiraled out of control. Indian troops also claimed to have killed 10 Pakistani soldiers in cross-border firing, but this was swiftly denied by a Pakistan military spokesman.

The warning from India’s tough-talking army chief Gen. S. Padmanabhan came as Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf was preparing to address the nation today. His speech was expected to announce curbs on Muslim militants in a bid to defuse the most serious crisis between the rivals in 30 years.

Padmanabhan warned that if Islamabad dared to unleash its nuclear arms, India was prepared to retaliate with its own arsenal. "The perpetrator of that particular outrage shall be punished, shall be punished so severely that the continuation of any form of fray will be doubtful," he said. India has adopted a no-first-strike policy over its nuclear weapons, unlike Pakistan.

But Padmanabhan warned: "We are ready for a second strike. Take it from me that we have enough arms." Padmanabhan reiterated the official Indian government line that Pakistan must take tougher action against anti-Indian militants based on its soil and added New Delhi knew how to strike against their training camps.

India has accused Islamabad of failing to crack down on extremist groups, including two New Delhi blames for the Dec. 13 suicide attack on the Indian Parliament which triggered the current crisis.

Pakistani authorities have arrested the leaders and other members of Jaish-e-Muhammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba, but New Delhi says that Islamabad has not gone far enough.

The Indian government has demanded the handover of 20 militants named on a list it provided to Pakistan as well as the closure of training camps and arms supply routes.

Both sides have massed troops along their common border, and despite handshakes and contacts between the leaders at a regional summit in Nepal last weekend, tensions remain high.

Meanwhile, Indian Army spokesman Maj. R. Lal said at least 10 Pakistani soldiers were killed yesterday in cross-border firing in Kashmir. He said the firing began when Pakistan began shelling Indian posts. "We retaliated with heavy machine-gun fire and mortar shelling," Lal said.

However, a Pakistani military spokesman denied the claim. "This is totally false," a military spokesman told AFP in Islamabad, adding though that a teenager had been killed and another wounded in separate "unprovoked" fire from Indian troops late yesterday.

All eyes are now on Musharraf amid hopes he might be planning some decisive action for tackling militant groups. A senior Pakistan official, who did not want to be named, said the general who seized power in a coup in October 1999, would make his keenly-anticipated speech this evening. Musharraf is under intense international pressure to use the televised address to cool fears of a war with India.