Islamabad, Jan 28 (IANS) A UN panel has denied recognition to World Sindhi Institute (WSI), a Washington-based NGO, on the ground that it was "working against the territorial integrity of Pakistan."

While WSI's application, pending since 2001, was rejected, the panel again kept pending a decision on the application of the Kashmiri Action Council (KAC) till the organisation submits its publications for scrutiny, the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) said Sunday.

Pressures by Pakistan and some of its allies, including China, have worked to influence the two decisions by the UN Committee on Non Government Organisations that considers applications of NGOs from across the world.

Indian member on this UN committee B N Reddy argued that both the WSI and the KAC advocated self-determination and should be treated on par. However, Pakistani member Bilal Hayee rejected any analogy between the KAC and the WSI, The Daily Times said.

Hayee argued that the WSI advocated the right to self-determination in a province, which was indisputably part of Pakistan, "but self-determination for Indian-held Kashmir was a valid topic of discussion, as UN resolutions also called for a settlement of the dispute."

Set up in 1997, WSI has been seeking accreditation to the ECOSOC since 2001. It has testified before several UN committees, both in New York and at Geneva.

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