NEW DELHI, Sept 7: An independent Kashmir could become a serious threat to the world as a breeding ground for terrorism, a US Congressional report was quoted on Friday as saying.

“Just days before Prime Minister Vajpayee and the Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf arrive in the United States for the UN General Assembly session, a US Congress report has warned that an independent Kashmir could be a haven for extremists,” Star News said in a report quoting the US Congress paper.

It said the report was prepared by the Congressional research service, which is an advisory body on US policy for the Congress. “There is the real danger that an independent Kashmir, given the Jihadi nature of some of the insurgent groups, could end up as another permanent sanctuary for Islamic extremist terrorist operations,” it said.

On the US policy options to resolve the dispute, the report states that since much of the current tension between India and Pakistan has arisen because of incursions from Pakistan across the Line of Control, an important step in reducing tensions might involve some type of monitoring of the LoC.

Airborne or satellite surveillance of the region would be non-intrusive and could help both countries make their cases, it said.

Another source of tension is the short reaction time to a possible nuclear attack by either country — whether intentional or accidental.

Indian strategic affairs experts say this report reflects a change in America’s stand that had so far supported the right to self-determination for Kashmiris.

“For 50 years America has been maintaining an ambiguity about the slogan of self-determination of Pakistan over Kashmir — that ambiguity about where America stands on question of Kashmir is over,” Star News quoted one analyst as saying.—J.N