Infiltration: Armitage's statement criticised

18 Jul, 2004

The statement of United States Deputy Secretary Richard Armitage, blaming Pakistan for infiltration across the Line of Control (LoC) and not closing down the militant camps, was unjustified and unacceptable.
President Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Sardar Muhammad Anwar Khan has expressed this view while talking with the under-training foreigner and national officers of foreign services academy in president house on Saturday.
AJK President said Armitage statement that "militants' camps yet existed in Pakistan" facilitated India to continue human rights violation in Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
He said Armitage's allegations were based on information provided by the Criminal Investigation Agency (CIA), which had already proven false in case of Iraq's Weapon of Mass destruction (WMD).
AJK President further said if America was really interested to make South Asia "Atomic free zone" than it must pressurise India to settled Kashmir issue according to the wishes of the Kashmiri People.
Anwar said the Kashmiris were the key party in that dispute and any solution sans their participation would never be durable.
He said recent statements from some leaders of new Congress government showed that India was not serious in resolving the dispute.
AJK President said Congress government had been stressing the settlement of issue on the basis of Shimla agreement, which had already lost its value when India attacked Siachin.

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