Kashmiri terror groups thriving under 'patronage of Pak agencies' in PoK: BBC

Lahore, Mar.4 (ANI): Defence Minister A K Antony's claim that 42 terror training camps were still operative in Pakistan was backed by a British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) report which said that militant training camps are once again being established in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) and recruitment is also on the rise in the Punjab province.

"It looks evident now that the Kashmiri militant groups are once again working under the 'patronage of the Pakistani establishment agencies'," the BBC said.

The report said that following the 9/11 attacks in the US, India and Pakistan tried to develop peace between them and it was widely believed that Islamabad would stop supporting militancy as it sought better relations with its 'nuclear-armed neighbour.

"But this has changed once again. Since 2009, militant activity has been on the rise in the Kashmir region. The Pakistani government denies any knowledge of Kashmir militant groups increasing their activities and says the militant groups in Kashmir are operating on their own," the report said.

It is pertinent to mention here that Speaking during the Operation Vayu Shakti 2010 programme organized at Pokhran, Rajasthan last week, Antony had said "Our real concern is existence of terror camps intact across the border after 26/11 attack. There are 42 terror camps. And there has been no serious effort to dismantle these camps." (ANI)