Saturday, July 16 2005 13:09 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Washington: The US is concerned about the Kashmiri militants' activities and has asked Pakistan to close down terrorist training camps as also block all infiltration across the Line of Control (LoC), officials here (Washington) have said.

"We have repeatedly made it clear to the Pakistan Government that it must continue its efforts to close all militant training camps and block all infiltration across the Line of Control in Kashmir," US officials said.

"The United States remains concerned about the activities of Kashmiri militants," said the officials who did not want to be identified.

Meanwhile, the pro-Hurriyat Kashmiri American Council began a two-day conference on Kashmir here yesterday (July 15, 2005) with speakers including Pak-occupied Kashmir's Prime Minister Sardar Sikandar Hayat Khan, Pakistan Ambassador to US Jehangir Karamat and former Pakistan Foreign Secretary Riaz Khoker as also Subramaniam Swamy.

The non-Pakistani speakers stressed the importance of peace, ending the violence and restoring the rights of the Pandits, while the Pakistanis demanded that the Kashmiri people should have a voice in the Indo-Pakistan dialogue.

Karamat said earlier this month that the Indo-Pakistan dialogue couldn't continue indefinitely unless a solution to the Kashmir issue is found.

Significantly, the Kashmir Council's meeting began two days after a conference in which the atrocities committed by militants against Kashmiri Pandits were graphically illustrated.