India is understandably indignant that the US State Department’s “country report on terrorism 2016” referred to Pak Occupied Kashmir (POK) as Azad Jammu and Kashmir. This in spite of the fact that the US report also states that the area is being used by terrorist groups to target India. An official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs in India has said to a daily that the government has not merely taken note of the reference but also raised the matter with the US authorities both in New Delhi and Washington. It is the first time that the US has referred to POK as ‘Azad Jammu and Kashmir’. The region is closely controlled by the Pakistan military in the face of Indian protests. The US has used the nomenclature “Pakistan administered Kashmir”. It is surprising that while the US state department report praises Indian efforts to combat terrorism, the reference to Azad Kashmir produces a harsh note. India has however reason to feel satisfied with the report referring to J&K as Indian –administered Kashmir which goes against militant demands in the state.
The state report also says that Harkat-ul-Mujahideen operates from Muzaffarabad in Azad J&K. Muzzafarabad is also the headquarters of Lashkar-e-taiba and other terrorist groups. It says that POK is used to launching terrorists into India and plan attacks on Indian military and civilian targets under the direction of the Pakistani army. The US nomenclature is particularly galling to India which is always protesting against Pakistani occupation of the territory. Its objection to China’s ‘one road, one belt’ is because it runs through POK. If the US is keen on countering terrorism, it should do something about controlling activities in the territory.
