(a) whether any discussion has been held between Shri George Bush, President of United States of America and Prime Minister of India pertaining to cross border terrorism in Kashmir; and
(b) if so, whether the U.S. is in agreement with Indian view point relating to hostile activities of Pakistan inside Indian territory as a whole and the State of Jammu and Kashmir in particular?
THE MINISTER OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS (SHRI JASWANT SINGH)
(a) Government has conveyed to the United States in all appropriate forums, including in the dialogue between Prime Minister and the U.S. President, Pakistan`s role in sponsoring, supporting and abetting cross-border terrorism in India.
(b) The U.S. Government has on a number of occasions acknowledged links between Pakistan and terrorism in India. The U.S. State Department has observed in its annual report for the year 2000 on Patterns of Global Terrorism that, `Pakistan`s military government, headed by Gen. Pervez Musharraf, continued previous Pakistani Government support of the Kashmir insurgency, and Kashmiri militant groups continued to operate in Pakistan, raising funds and recruiting new cadre`.