Mayor denies Kashmir comments

COUNCILLOR Ateeque Ur-Rehman . . . dismissed newspaper claims he accused India of acts of terrorism

THE Mayor of Oldham says a news story by a Pakistani publication claiming he accused India of acts of terrorism didn’t report him accurately.

Councillor Ateeque Ur-Rehman was on a trip to Islamabad earlier this month and spoke at an event — but not as mayor.

Afterwards local newspaper the Pakistan Observer reported that he had labelled “aggression” by India in Kashmir a “terrorism act.”

The Mayor claims the report was innacurate and that because he spoke in Urdu, his comments could have been mistranslated.

“The article being referred to is not an accurate reflection of what I said. I would not accuse India of terrorism.”

The rival nations have fought two wars over their competing claims to Kashmir. More than 68,000 people have been killed in the fighting and in a subsequent Indian military crackdown.