Author:
Publication: The Economic Times
Date: January 31, 2003
Introduction: World Media points
to Islamabad's links with North Korea, Taliban
Pakistan is still not doing enough
to halt incursions by Islamic militants across the line of control into
Jammu and Kashmir, a US official said. 'It is not being stopped, and this
is the main concern," said a state department official on condition of
anonymity yesterday, after Pakistani foreign minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri
met secretary of state Colin Powell.
The official said that it was important
for Pakistan to drastically cut down on the incursions, branded by India
as evidence of state-sponsored terrorism, before winter weather lifted
and made crossing the LoC easier. "There is some going on despite the fact
that it is very difficult, it becomes much easier once the snow goes out
of the passes,' the official said.
Militant traffic into Jammu and
Kashmir was significantly stemmed last year, in line with promises by President
Pervez Musharraf, following US pressure which eased Indo-Pakistani tensions,
said the official.
'It was very, very noticeable, the
numbers went way down,' said the official, suggesting that incursions had
crept back up following a lack of counter concessions by India.
'They did expect a positive reaction,
in the absence of that, the numbers have gone back up." - Agencies