August 8, 2002	Thursday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 28,1423

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WASHINGTON, Aug 7: Pakistan has decided to sign two international conventions on combating terrorism that will further increase its commitment to fight global terror, the Pakistan embassy in Washington announced on Wednesday.

Relevant documents, signed by President Musharraf, have been sent to its mission in New York for signing the International Convention on the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings of Jan 12, 1998.

Similar documents were also sent to the Pakistan mission in Jeddah for signing the OIC Convention on Combating International Terrorism.

Pakistan has taken another step towards expediting its fight against terrorism, says Mohammad Sadiq, the deputy chief of mission who is looking after the embassy in the absence of an ambassador. We stand by the international community in fighting this menace.

Observers say that by signing the two conventions, Pakistan has further committed itself to curbing cross-border militant attacks in the disputed Kashmir region.

It will now be bound to act against any group that uses bombing as a strategy to promote its political or religious goals and will also have to catch those who use other violent tactics for this purpose.

Since several Kashmiri groups use such tactics, they will automatically become outlaws, the observers said.

The documents containing Pakistan’s willingness to join the international convention against terrorist bombings will be deposited with the UN Secretary-General and those concerning OIC will be submitted at the General Secretariat of the Organization of the Islamic Conference in Jeddah.

With this decision, Pakistan is now a party to 10 out of the 12 international instruments and the OIC convention on terrorism.