Help us or don't interfere, jihadis tell Pak govt

The Pakistan government has been urged not to create hurdles in the way of 'freedom fighters' struggling for the cause of an 'independent Kashmir'.

Speakers at a Kashmir-centric conference in Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, which was organised by anti-India jehadi organisations, called for continuing the jihad till freedom is won from India.

'As long as Jammu and Kashmir is under Indian subjugation, jihad must continue. Pakistan should continue political, diplomatic and moral support for the Kashmiris seeking freedom. If Pakistani rulers cannot help Kashmiris they should let the field open for the Kashmiri militants rather than creating any obstacles in their way,' the declaration issued after the meeting said.

India has already expressed concerns over the 'terror' meeting, the first since the 26/11 attacks, and believes that banned extremist organisations such as the Lashkar-e-Tayiba (LeT), and the Hizbul Mujahideen might use the Muzaffarabad meeting to plan their next big attack on it.

Former Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Hamid Gul, who attended the meeting, rejected New Delhi's apprehensions, saying it should learn to distinguish between terrorists and 'freedom fighters'.

The declaration also stressed that practical steps were needed to bring an end to the  'Indian repression' in Kashmir.

It called for the removal of a ban on all Kashmiri separatist and militant groups.

'Proposals like 'self-governance and demilitarisation' were not a substitute for the UN Security Council resolutions on Kashmir, and Pakistan should not budge from its principled demand of implementation of these resolutions,' The Dawn quoted the declaration, as saying.

Various top jihadi leaders, including Hizb-ul-Mujahideen commander Syed Salahuddin, Jammat-ud-Dawa (JuD), the front face of the banned LeT, leader Abdul Rehman Makki were also present at the 'terror' conference.'

United Jihad Council Chairman Syed Salahuddin urged the people to announce a 'jihad' against India on a larger scale to settle the long pending Kashmir issue, instead of looking for international support.

'Instead of begging the UN and world powers for Kashmir settlement, we should flex our muscles and revive the spirit of jihad which is bound to get the issue resolved,' Salahuddin said.

Although the event was organised by the lesser-known Tehrik Azadi-i-Jammu Kashmir, it was in effect a show of the Jamaat-ud-Dawah, which maintained a low profile in the region since 26/11.