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Mind your business, Pak tells Blackwill

Mind your business, Pak tells Blackwill

Author:
Publication: Sify News
Date: October 30, 2002
URL: http://headlines.sify.com/1316news1.html

Pakistan on Wednesday strongly criticised remarks by US ambassador to India Robert Blackwill in which he implicitly blamed Islamabad for "cross-border terrorism" in Jammu and Kashmir.

Blackwill Tuesday said "terrorism" in Kashmir was "almost entirely externally driven".

The Pakistani foreign ministry hit back, saying the ambassador had no business to comment about relations between India and Pakistan. "The observation was incorrect," a foreign ministry statement said. "Such ill-considered remarks only serve to create complications."

"It would be better if the US ambassador in New Delhi were to desist from pronouncing himself on Pakistan-India issues and instead focussed on US-India relations."

This is the second time in less than a month Blackwill has come under fire for similar remarks. "I want to make it clear, with respect to the tension that existed after December 13, that India was a victim of terrorism so I have no intention of criticising India's response to terrorism or terrorist activities," Blackwill said while replying to questions at the end of a business meeting on India-US trade relations.

"The problem obviously in Kashmir is cross-border terrorism. It's virtually now, in my judgement, entirely externally driven, almost entirely externally driven."

December 13 was the day last year that extremists attacked the Indian parliament in New Delhi. India blamed the attack - which saw tensions between the two arch foes rise to a fever pitch - on Kashmiri militants funded by Pakistan, a charge Islamabad has repeatedly denied.

The foreign ministry said Pakistan had taken up the matter with the US ambassador to Pakistan.
 


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