London: British Muslims are sending their "problem children" to Islamic schools in PoK where they are at risk of being recruited by terror outfit al-Qaeda, according to secret US diplomatic cables leaked by WikiLeaks.
In a communique dated July 18, 2008, Laura Hickey, a senior British official, told the Americans that "stabilising Kashmir is also important for UK domestic security reasons," the whistle-blower website said.
According to a report in the Daily Telegraph, Hickey, the Foreign Office's Pakistan team leader, said there was "a growing trend of UK-based parents who send their 'problem children' to madrassas in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), and these students are at high risk of radicalisation."
Later Hickey told US diplomats of "what HMG internally terms the 'Kashmir escalation effect'.
This meant that "while it appears the Government of Pakistan has ceased to run militant training camps in Kashmir (POK), the camps continue to operate."
"Terrorist organisations, like al-Qaeda, have begun using these camps as recruitment centres. After additional training... Recruiters are then poised to commit terrorist activities," Hickey was quoted as saying in the report.
Britain was also concerned that "UK passport-holders will be recruited to commit terrorist operations in the UK."
"With the continued presence of militant training camps in (PoK) Kashmir and over half a million UK passport-holders with ties to the region, HMG is concerned that UK nationals will be recruited to conduct terrorist activities in the UK," the official said.
"As part of the 'Promoting British Islam' programme, prominent Muslim Britons of Pakistani descent travel to Kashmir (POK) on goodwill trips to explain life as a Muslim in the UK," the cable said.
Gen Deepak Kapoor, the Chief of Indian Army in November 2009, told newsmen that there are still 42 terror camps operating across the border in Pakistan in which 2,000 to 2,500 terrorists are still waiting to infiltrate into Indian side.
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