Press Trust of India Posted online: Sunday, December 18, 2005 at 1616 hours IST
New Delhi, December 18: The United States has expressed grave concern over the involvement of militant outfits in quake-relief operations in Pak-occupied Kashmir (PoK), even as a senior Pakistani official said there was no bar on their carrying out 'humanitarian' activities, media reports said.
Expressing concern over the involvement of 'banned groups' in the relief operations, US envoy to Islamabad Ryan C Crocker has said it should be a matter of concern for the Pakistan government that groups involved in violence were associated with relief activities.
A report in the Daily Times quoted Crocker as saying that these outfits were 'already on the watch-list and their involvement in relief activities would facilitate them to freely operate and increase their movement'.
"It is a challenge for the (Pakistan) government. I don't find them doing something that can't be done by the government and internationally-recognised NGOs. Our concern is very well known", Crocker said.
In an interview to Pakistani magazine The Herald, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) DG Maj Gen Shaukat Sultan said, "with regard to the Islamic organisations, though, as stated by the President (Pervez Musharraf), their activities are being monitored but there is no bar on their activities as long as they serve a humanitarian purpose".
Sultan also said there were several NGOs carrying out relief operations though 'it is difficult to ensure coordination down to the tactical levels' between them and the armed forces.
