Address Kashmir, Palestine issues: Pak.

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD, OCT. 6. Pakistan today categorised Kashmir and Palestine as problems that bred an environment of injustice, humiliation and desperation and expressed the hope that in the long run the international community would address them as part of the campaign against terrorism.

At the daily special briefing on the post-September 11 situation, the Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman, Mr. Riaz Mohammad Khan, said problems which created an environment of injustice and humiliation needed to be addressed by the world community.

Ever since the September 11 incidents, Pakistan has accused India of trying to mislead the world by bracketing the ``struggle of people of Kashmir for their right to self-determination'' with terrorism and has been at pains to emphasise that it is an ``indigenous struggle''. Answering a question about the reported remarks made by the Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, in the presence of the British Prime Minister, Mr. Tony Blair, linking the hijack of the Indian Airlines plane in December 1999 to the attacks on the American cities on September 11, the spokesman said that Pakistan did not see any linkage.

When his comment was sought on the reported complaint made by Mr. Vajpayee that Pakistan was unjustly being `rewarded' by the international community despite its track record on terrorism, Mr. Khan said the Indian allegations were quite familiar.

``The President of Pakistan in his address to the people on September 19 has referred to the subject of vicious propaganda against Pakistan in the Indian media. Unfortunately, the propaganda is continuing to this day,'' Mr. Khan said.

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