Pakistan panel to Sharif govt: Don’t back terror groups in Kashmir

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif (File/AP Photo)

A Pakistani parliamentary panel has advised Islamabad against encouraging “active support” to “armed, banned and militant” groups in Kashmir.

“Pakistan should not encourage calls for active support of armed, banned, militant groups in Kashmir,” stated a four-page policy paper issued Monday by the National Assembly Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs.

New Delhi has not officially reacted to the development. Officials said the paper is a reflection of “sections in Pakistan’s polity and society” who are not in favour of terrorism directed towards India. But, “it is an official acceptance of the fact that Pakistan indulges in fuelling terrorism in Kashmir,” an official told The Indian Express.

Officials in Delhi, however, could not verify the authenticity of the report, which has published parts of the policy paper.

The parliamentary panel is headed by Awais Ahmad Leghari of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz).

According to the report in Pakistan’s newspaper Express Tribune, the panel has proposed that Islamabad should act against armed outfits to dispel international concerns that Pakistan was not doing enough against groups involved in violent attacks in Kashmir. The committee proposed a two-pronged strategy for better ties: selective engagement and restraint. It suggested Pakistan’s policy towards India should be based on four key principles: reciprocity, reduction, resumption and result.

“Pakistan should continue seeking comprehensive engagement with India on all outstanding issues,” it said. The panel recommended that Islamabad should engage with India on four key issues: Kashmir, water, trade, and culture and communication.

Source http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/pakistan-panel-to-sharif-govt-dont-back-terror-groups-in-kashmir/