US sanctions rejected:

Subcontinent

Pakistan came out in defence of militants fighting Indian security forces in Kashmir on Tuesday, saying it was a legitimate struggle for freedom, after the United States put the head of one of the groups on its list of global terrorists.

The US State Department’s designation of Syed Salahuddin, the head of the Hizbul Mujahideen militant group based in Pakistan, as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist was unjustified, Pakistan’s foreign office said.

The US decision came just days before Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the White House for his first talks with US President Donald Trump.

India, which blames Pakistan for stoking the 28-year-old armed revolt in Muslimmajority Kashmir, has under Modi stepped up international efforts to put pressure on Pakistan to act against militant groups operating from its soil.

Pakistan denies giving material help to the Kashmiri separatists but reiterated on Tuesday it would continue to provide political, diplomatic and moral support to the Kashmiri people in their struggle for self-determination.

“The 70-year-old indigenous struggle of Kashmiris in the Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir remains legitimate. The designation of individuals supporting the Kashmiri right to self-determination as terrorists is completely unjustified,” the foreign ministry statement said.

A spokesman for Salahuddin, who is based in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, did not answer his handphone.

Tensions have been running high along the de facto border which divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan. Over the past year, militant violence and anti-India protests have increased as Modi’s rightwing government seeks to tackle the revolt with a firmer hand. (RTRS)