We helped J038;K insurgency: Pak

He was delivering a lecture at the South Asia Programme of the School of Advanced International Studies of Johns Hopkins University when he was asked what Pakistan was doing to stop terrorist outfits like the Lashkar-e-Toiba LeT from crossing into India.

8220;To the best of my knowledge Lakshar-e-Toiba is a banned organisation. They are no more in Pakistan,8221; Durrani said. However, even two years ago, the LeT had money collection boxes in the markets of Rawalpindi, he said.

8220;There were these hundreds and thousands of these boxes. That is finished and LeT does not have the luxury of those funds8230;and the organisation has been banned,8221; the Pakistani envoy claimed. 8220;We are trying our very best. We have put military as well as intelligence assets in areas where from people went. There is no serious cross border movement today in Kashmir,8221; he said.

He felt there were 8220;vast areas8221; in which both India and Pakistan had responsibilities. 8220;Both parties have responsibilities. If we can8217;t hypothetically stop every guy from crossing over, the other side has responsibility too. So it is a joint issue. It has been addressed,8221; he said.

Asked how Pakistan was dealing with madarsas, Durrani maintained that every such school did not teach violence but they did preach a 8220;very narrow vision of Islam8221;. The government is fighting to change the syllabus of Islamic schools to take it beyond religion and including instruction in subjects like Maths and English. They are being 8220;closely watched8221; by security forces, he added.

Durrani brushed aside as 8220;grossly overstated8221; the notion that in the event of another military coup, jihadists and extremists would come to the fore and Pakistan8217;s nuclear weapons would fall into the hands of such elements. 8220;The nuclear weapons are very safe,8221; he said.