"A lot of Pakistani families living in Britain still have roots in Pakistan, particularly in the Punjab region, and visiting relatives are seen as an important part of maintaining those family links.

"When children complete their formal education in Britain there is also an inclination among Pakistani families to send them to complete their schooling at a religious institution.

"They send them to the mosques, often in Britain but also sometimes away from home, and as well as receiving religious instruction they will inevitably come into contact with more hardline elements.

"For quite some time, there has been a network of contacts between British extremists and the Jihadi organisations based in Pakistan. Once contact has been made with these young people, they become influenced by them and are encouraged to visit the training camps.

"For the last two decades, sections of Pakistan have been under the influence of guerillas who were involved in the war against the Soviet forces in Afghanistan - with, it's important to say, American support.

"They had offices in all of the neighbourhoods and were recruiting people to fight in that war. A culture of jihad developed which has continued to this day. Many are still involved in the fighting in Kashmir and through this they have become battle-hardened fighters while others have gone over to Iraq.

"Since September 11, the Government has attempted to curtail these militias, but they have close links with the Taleban and have now become tremendously powerful. The militia organisations have become a state within a state.

"There has been an attempt to restrict their activities but more often than not the Government is turning a blind eye. They have created a monster, and it has come back to haunt them."

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