Following the lead of the federal government, officials in Azad Kashmir have banned six militants groups, including one accused of staging a deadly terrorist attack on Indiaâs parliament two years ago. Five of the militants groups had been banned before and responded by renaming themselves. The sixth is a pro-Taliban group with offices in Pakistan and Britain.
| That renaming yourself trick only works if the government wants to be tricked... |
The new bans imposed Thursday, were the latest in a series of confidence-building measures taken by Pakistan and India to improve strained relations. The Kashmir offices of the banned groups also are being closed, said the regionâs deputy commissioner, Ahsan Khalid Kiyani.
| To reopen around the block? |
Pakistanâs Interior Ministry said Friday it had asked officials in Kashmir to move against the six groups banned by President Pervez Musharraf last month. âWe will not allow banned groups to operate in our controlled areas,â said Brigadier Javed Iqbal Cheema, a senior official at the ministry in Islamabad. The six militant groups that were banned by Kashmir are Tehreek-i-Islami Pakistan, Millat-e-Islami, Khudam-ul Islam, Hezb-ul Tehrir, Jamiat-ul Furqan, and Jamiat-ul Ansar. The anti-India Khudam-ul Islam militant group was formerly known as Jaish-e-Mohammed. Jamiat-ul Ansar, another anti-India group was formerly known as Harkat-ul Mujahedeen. Hezb-ul Tehrir is a pro-Taliban group operating offices in Azad Kashmir and in Britain, said Kiyani. |