Islamabad: Pakistan on May 14 banned Masood Azhar, chief of proscribed Jaish-e-Mohammed militant outfit blamed for the December 2001 attack on Indian Parliament, from entering Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).

An administrative order to this effect was issued by the PoK government, which directed the law enforcement agencies to set up pickets to prevent from him from entering PoK.

Azhar was released by India to end the hijacking of an Indian Airlines plane in Kandahar in 1999.

The order came came nearly a week after the visit of US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage to Islamabad where he had said that President Pervez Musharraf had assured him that there were no no terrorist training camps in PoK and if there were any, "they would be gone tomorrow".

Azhar, who was released from prison, recently, was scheduled to address a meeting in Kotli town in PoK, a Pakistani private TV channel, reported.

The order comes amidst peace overtures between India and Pakistan with New Delhi demanding that Pakistan put an end to cross-border terrorism and terror infrastructure across the line of control (LoC) in order to create conducive atmosphere for resumption of Indo-Pak dialogue.

Jaish along with Lashkar-e-Toiba was banned in Pakistan in 2002 following the attack on Indian Parliament. Azhar and Lashkar leader, Hafeez Saeed were held under preventive detention for nearly a year and subsequently released.

The decision to ban him from entering the PoK was made to improve the climate for talks between India and Pakistan, the TV channel reported.

PTI