Friday, July 22 2005 16:11 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Washington: Despite United States efforts and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's crackdown on militant Islamic organizations, Pakistan remains a key hub of terrorism, The Wall Street Journal said today (July 22, 2005).

Among the reasons is the army's reluctance to go after militias that have helped Pakistan defend its claim on Kashmir, which it disputes with India, South Asia analysts and Western intelligence officials told the daily.

Musharraf's Government also relies on support from political parties that are often sympathetic to the aspirations of Islamic militants, the sources added.

In Pakistan's tribal areas of Baluchistan and the Northwest Frontier Province, the Taliban still train and recruit without Government interference, they said.

And Afghan military commanders complain that Pakistan is providing sanctuary and aid to the militias they're fighting, they added.

"Since 9/11, there are only really two prominent places in the world where you can train for jihad, Iraq and Pakistan," Christine Fair, a South Asia expert at the United States Institute of Peace, a nonpartisan federal think tank in Washington, told the daily.

"If you're a young Muslim male looking for training, Pakistan is where you're likely to find the opportunity, particularly if you have family and ethnic ties there," she added.