New Delhi, Aug 11: Days after the Pakistan chapter of Hurriyat Conference lashed out at the mismanagement in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), another senior separatist leader left Islamabad red-faced when he accused it of using PoK only as a ground to breed terrorism.
"Almost one year after September 11, the world has changed beyond recognition. Pakistan has, however, still not given up its folly of trying to use terrorism as a covert tool to attain its strategic objectives.... Promises of Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf to close down militant training camps have not been fulfilled," Shaukat Ali Kashmiri said in his speech at 54th session of united national sub-committee on the promotion and protection of human rights.
Kashmiri, who was speaking recently on behalf of an European NGO, said that "under the protective shield of Pakistan's intelligence agencies, PoK remains a sanctuary for terrorist groups which operate in places ranging from Afghanistan and Kashmir to Indonesia and the Philippines."
"Terrorist camps continue to exist in PoK which had led to rising tension and violence with the local population protesting against the presence of Pakistani and foreign terrorists on their soil," Kashmiri, who was making an oral intervention on behalf of European Union of Public Relations, told the sub-commission.
Recently, leaders of Pakistani chapter of Hurriyat had snubbed Musharraf for handling of Kashmir issue and even went ahead to say the situation in PoK was far worse than that in Jammu and Kashmir.

Bureau Report