US warning not warranted — Pak

ISLAMABAD, JANUARY 30: Pakistan has rejected an apparent warning from the United States that it could be branded as "a sponsor of terrorism", saying there was "no warrant for any warning".

"In Pakistan, there is legitimate sympathy with Kashmiris… The legitimate Kashmiri struggle cannot be described as terrorist activity… Official Pakistani agencies do not provide any support to the religious organisations involved in insurgency," a foreign ministry statement said. The statement quoted by the English daily The News added, "We (Pakistan) believe in the peaceful negotiation process."

The statement comes in the wake of comments by US State Department spokesman James Rubin that Islamabad was sheltering Kashmiri militant group Harkat-ul-Mujahideen and others.

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The statement said these organisations are bound by Pakistani laws and "infringement of the laws would entail required action".

Stating that Islamabad has been Washington’s ally in its fight against terrorism, the statement cited extradition fromPakistan of suspects allegedly involved in the World Trade Centre bombing in New York and attack on US embassies in Africa as examples in support of its stand.