Hafiz Saeed: Pakistan government, Army back my jihad in Jammu and Kashmir

ISLAMABAD: Jamaat-ud-Dawah chief and Mumbai attack architect Hafiz Saeed has for the first time admitted that he is backing jihad in Jammu & Kashmir with the help of the Pakistani army and the government, a disclosure that could put Islamabad in an embarrassing situation.

“I say what our army will do to secure the right of Kashmiris is jihad....We extend help to Kashmiris alongside the Pakistani government....we call this jihad,“ Saeed said in a TV interview telecast on Friday .

Saeed's admission on jihad coincides with growing tensions in Kashmir following the release and re-arrest of separatist Masarat Alam. The Hurriyat member was re-arrested for his rally where Pakistani flags were waved and anti-India slogans were raised.

In his interview, Saeed warned that the movement for attaining freedom will intensify in the coming days, forcing India to give up Kashmir. “Jihad is the duty of an Islamic government... there is a government in Pakistan and it has always taken the stand that it is the right of Kashmiris to attain freedom,“ he said.

Clashes have erupted in Kashmir following Masarat's arrest and Saeed sought to make the unrest the talking point at his rally in Faislabad. “I have a firm belief that the more the Indian govern ment suppresses the voice of Kashmiris, the more there will be reaction. The freedom movement in Kashmir will further intensify in coming days and eventually India will have to give freedom to Kashmiris,“ he asserted.

Saeed talked about the killing of two youths in Tral in Pulwama and said, “If the Indian government resorts to violence to suppress the voice of Kashmiris, we will also retaliate in a strong manner.“

Asking the Pakistani government to be more vocal for “oppressed Kashmiri Muslims“, the LeT founder said, “It is not very heartening that Pakistan is silent on Indian atrocities in Kashmir. The Nawaz Sharif government should at least draw the attention of the world towards it. I want the government to fully support the Kashmiri cause and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Kashmiris in their struggle to secure freedom from India.“

Asserting that freedom for Kashmiris could be attained only through jihad, Saeed said he would raise his voice for them across Pakistan by holding rallies.