rediff.com: Britain probing reports of fund flow to Kashmiri militants

Britain is investigating reports of funds flowing from the United Kingdom to terrorist outfits in Jammu and Kashmir and will take action "where there is sufficient evidence," the house of commons has been informed.

"We are determined that this country should not be used as a base for supporting terrorism. It is a criminal offence under the Terrorism Act 2000 to belong to, or to raise funds for, a proscribed terrorist group. The police is investigating all credible allegations of fundraising for such groups and will take action where there is sufficient evidence to do so," Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Mike O'Brien said on Tuesday evening.

Earlier, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, who had a telephonic talk with External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh on Monday, said "The international community obviously looks to (Pakistan) President Pervez Musharraf to fully meet the undertakings that he has given on further bearing down on terrorist groups and in due course, closing their camps."

Welcoming the easing of tension between India and Pakistan, Keith Vaz, former minister for the Commonwealth sought to know when Straw intended to restore visa clearance operations in Mumbai, New Delhi, Islamabad and Karachi to their full operational strength.

In reply, Straw said Britain has to make different decisions for each of the two countries, because, although they are both parties to the same conflict over Kashmir, "the security situation in Pakistan is significantly different from and worse than that in India, because of the terrorist actions that have already taken place against Western diplomats and other threats."

He said Britain has restored services, particularly in respect of India, to as near normal as possible. "So far as Pakistan is concerned, that will take longer," he added.

Asked what steps Britain has taken to pressurise India and Pakistan to come to the negotiating table to settle Kashmir issue, Mike O'Brien said, "Britain wanted support for cross-border terrorism to stop and a verifiable end to infiltration as the first step towards reducing the current tensions."

"Any arrangement on verification would have to be acceptable to both India and Pakistan," he added.

Disclosing details of the discussions Straw had with Musharraf, O'Brien said the foreign secretary underlined "the need for Pakistan to take visible, decisive and verifiable steps to seal the Line of Control; to stop supplies to militant groups; to help restrain the violent actions of those groups and to close the militant training camps on Pakistan's side of the LoC."

"In Delhi, Straw told Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Jaswant Singh that as Pakistan was taking necessary steps to clamp down on terrorism and that India should respond positively," he said.


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