Pakistan's military ruler, General Pervez Musharraf, has told India to stop blaming his country for the recent hijack of an Indian Airlines flight.

He said India should not to get involved in a war of words "because this is not the requirement of a peaceful future for the region".

The Indian Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, said on Tuesday that his country had evidence of Pakistan's involvement in the hijack.

But General Musharraf said it was an old habit of India to put the blame on Pakistan, and Delhi was trying to escape criticism for its handling of the crisis.

"We know internally there is a great pressure on them for their inefficient, inept handling of this tragic ... hijacking incident.

"I would ask Mr Vajpayee to play cool and do not get involved in ... building this hype against Pakistan."

General Musharraf also rejected India's claim that some of the hijackers were Pakistanis. He said the Pakistani Government had no knowledge as to the nationality of the hijackers.

The hijack ended last Friday after India agreed to free three jailed Muslim militants in return for the release of 154 passengers and crew, who had been held for a week in Afghanistan.

'False accusations'

Mr Vajpayee called for Pakistan to be declared a terrorist state as a result of the hijack.

He said India would produce evidence showing "the hijackers were encouraged by Pakistan" when the time was right.

In response, Pakistan accused India of trying to isolate it internationally by making false accusations.

General Musharraf said Mr Vajpayee's call strengthened his suspicion that there was an Indian conspiracy to malign Pakistan.

He insisted that Pakistan had played a positive role throughout the crisis.

General Musharraf also said that the hijackers had not entered Pakistan. If they did so, the legal process would come into play.

'Expected in Kashmir'

The whereabouts of the five hijackers and the three released militants is still unknown.

India says the hijackers are Pakistani citizens who have crossed back into their homeland.

However, the head of an alliance of 15 Kashmiri militant groups said on Tuesday that they could still be in Afghanistan.

Sayed Salahuddin of the United Jihad Council said that none of the groups in his alliance had organised the hijack, although individuals sympathetic to the militant movement might have acted on their own initiative.