U.S. Official Hails Pakistani’s U.N. Envoy Role

A visiting U.S. diplomat lauded the appointment of a Pakistani as the U.N. special envoy to Iraq, calling it an honor for the South Asian country. But he said Pakistan also had work to do closer to home: curbing violence in Kashmir.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard L. Armitage, on a 24-hour visit to Pakistan, said the appointment of Ashraf Jehangir Qazi as U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s special representative in Iraq “was a great tribute” to Pakistan.

But Armitage also said Pakistan had not done enough to stop Islamic militants who use its territory to launch attacks on the Indian-held portion of the disputed region of Kashmir.

“All the terrorist camps have not been dismantled,” Armitage said after talks with Pakistani Foreign Secretary Riaz Khokhar. “It has to be noted that there are lots of different kinds of violence.... It all should stop so the people of Jammu and Kashmir can have a prosperous life.”