ISLAMABAD, Jan 10: Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States, Maleeha Lodhi, has said that India’s violence in occupied Kashmir gave birth to terrorism and cycle of brutality.

In an interview to the CNN, she said it was important to appreciate and recognise that it was not terrorism that had created the tragedy of Kashmir but it was an outcome of the tragedy.

Violence began on Jan 20, 1990, in Kashmir when the Indian army fired on 200 unarmed demonstrators on the streets of Srinagar and that began the cycle of violence that we have seen for the last decade or so, she said.

She said a distinction should be drawn between rooting out terrorism and the issue of self-determination for the Kashmiri people.

Pakistan, she said, had repeatedly said it was opposed to all forms and manifestations of terrorism. Whether it is sponsored by state or it comes from militants, individuals and groups, we are opposed to all forms of terrorism, she said.

The ambassador said: “If we are to resolve the differences between India and Pakistan, we have to go back to the negotiating table and adopt the path of dialogue and not the path of threat or force which India is trying to do.”

She said Pakistan had committed itself to rooting out terrorism, militancy and any form of religious intolerance.

About the expected speech of Gen Musharraf she said: “We have committed ourselves to rooting out terrorism. We have committed ourselves to realising the vision of a modern and tolerant Pakistan and it is to this that he will be addressing this speech.”

Gen Musharraf had talked to the clergy in June, when he called on it to help promote religious tolerance, to root out the use of violence to achieve political objectives and particularly to root out sectarian terrorism, Ms Lodhi said.

About Pakistan-India tension, she said: “The context is being defined by the Indian troops build-up which has been massive on Pakistan’s frontier.”

She said there was no justification for India to do dangerous brinkmanship and act with irresponsibility, because it was a nuclear power confronting another nuclear power.

“The path towards resolution of our differences is the path of dialogue and not military,” she said.

We hope the international community will urge restraint upon India because it has been sabre-rattling for the last several weeks, she said.

She said India had handed over no evidence to Pakistan, except a list of 20 people. “If evidence is handed over to us we will examine this list and see what we need to do in accordance with the laws. There is no extradition treaty between Pakistan and India,” she said.

The ambassador said Pakistan was moving towards democracy. “The president has made a pledge that he will hold elections by October. He is going to stick to that pledge. There is no question in the mind of this government that democracy is the way to the future,” she added.—APP