Pallone takes up India’s demand to blacklist Pakistan

"Now is the time" to declare Pakistan a terrorist state, Pallone said adding he would formalise his request in a letter to secretary of state Madeleine Albright.

Pending a response from the department, the former co-chairman of the 110-member India caucus in the house of representatives said he might draft a legislation calling on the state department to declare Pakistan a terrorist state.

Pallone noted that the hijackers were part of theHarakat-ul-Mujahideen, which the US state department has described as an "Islamic militant group based in Pakistan."

The recent hostage situation, said Pallone, "is linked to the militant movement waging a campaign of terror and violence against both military and civilian targets in an effort to end Indian governance of Kashmir".

Stating that "global struggle against terrorism may have the longer-term effect of more closely uniting the US and India", Pallone said "both our countries have been victims of the international terrorist movement with which Pakistan has been associated".

Pakistan, he pointed out, has acknowledged its "political and moral" support for the separatist movement, "but credible reports from Indian and other sources indicate that Pakistan’s support goes far deeper.

"The history of the past few years points to the obvious conclusions that Pakistan is deeply involved in the ongoing campaign of terror afflicting Kashmir, and in terrorist acts elsewhere. The military junta thatrecently took over in Islamabad has only acted to increase that widespread perception," the Congressman said.

"Last year, Pakistan increased tensions in the region by launching a military campaign against Indian positions across the Line of Control in Kashmir."

While noting that the state department has "reacted with caution" to Prime Minister A B Vajpayee’s call for Pakistan to be designated as a terrorist state, Pallone said that he would continue to press for that status to be reviewed.

In the past, Pallone said, he had stressed to the state department the need to place more emphasis on Pakistan and its connection to terrorism."Besides the terrorist organisations themselves those countries that harbour terrorist organisations or provide them with technical, financial, political or other support should also be held accountable," he added.

"For a long time I have been expressing concern about the role of Pakistan in terms of international terrorist activities… In particular, we have seen Pakistan’sinvolvement in the ongoing terror campaign in Kashmir," Pallone said.

He also pointed out that "there have been reports that a significant number of the individuals involved in the terrorist camps in Afghanistan are Pakistani nationals. "In recent years, we have seen some of the most notorious international terrorists – including those responsible for the World Trade Centre bombings and the shootings at the CIA headquartersturning up in Pakistan."

Indo-Pak row on Clinton’s agenda
WASHINGTON: US President Bill Clinton has declared that easing of tensions between India and Pakistan and fighting weapons proliferation and terrorism will top his agenda this year, his last in office.

"Easing tensions between India and Pakistan" and "fighting weapons proliferation, terrorism and the nexus between them" are the main goals during this last year of his tenure, Clinton said, in his annual national strategy report to Congress.