Repression in Indian-held Kashmir should end: ISPR Chief
Pakistan Times Kashmir Desk

ISLAMABAD: The Director General of Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), Maj. General Shaukat Sultan, has said the peace process was moving in the right direction, but India should take steps to end human rights violations in occupied Kashmir.

Atrocities and rights violations in Indian-held Kashmir should come to an end at a time when peace dialogue has generated optimism on both sides, the ISPR head told a private tv channel.

Responding to a question about the reaction of Indian hard-liners to L.K.Advani's statement about Quaid-e-Azam during his visit to Pakistan, he said it showed that every country had extremists.

On India's refusal to allow Information Minister Shiekh Rashid Ahmed to visit IHK he said, "it should not have happened."

To a question he said the situation in Balochistan was rapidly improving following the government's actions and political dialogue.

He said there had been isolated incident in the province, which however did not signify a trend.

Replying to another question he said the present government had done unprecedented work towards emancipation of women.

President Pervez Musharraf feels sorry on incidents of injustice to women, be it the case of Mukhtaran Mai or Dr. Shazia, he said.

Such incident occur all over the world, he said, adding that in occupied Kashmir assaults against women were a routine but no foreign country, including the US, had offered shelter to these victims.

He regretted that attempts were made to single out Pakistan and said that some NGOs propagated such cases to malign the country.●