India downplays use of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir
New Delhi June 29 (IANS) India on Thursday downplayed the use of the term Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the US State Department s designation of Pakistan-based Hizbul Mujahideen leader Syed Salahuddin as a global terrorist.
The use of the term Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir merely affirms our position that Syed Salahuddin has been involved in cross-border terrorism against India External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay said.
Similar term has been used in the State Department s country reports on terrorism brought out every year including in the period 2010-13 in the context of cross-border terrorism perpetrated on India.
India s consistent position that the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India is well known.
The State Department in the notification issued on June 26 stated: Under Salahuddin s tenure as senior HM leader HM has claimed responsibility for several attacks including the April 2014 explosives attack in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir which injured 17 people.
Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad called the use of this term a sellout.
Welcoming the designation of Salahuddin as a specially designated global terrorist by the US Baglay said: This long-awaited step had been under discussion.
He said the joint statement issued after Prime Minister Narendra Modi s talks with US President Donald Trump is the strongest joint expression of the commitment of the two sides to be shoulder-to-shoulder in the fight against terrorism and calls on Pakistan to ensure that its territory is not used to launch terrorist attacks on other countries.
--IANS
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