'Ceasefire only if India relents'

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD, AUG. 23. The Hizb-ul-Mujahideen chief, Mr. Syed Salahuddin, has stuck to his stand that his group is prepared to declare a new ceasefire only if India is willing to hold tripartite talks involving Pakistan to resolve the Kashmir problem.

Talking to reporters at Muzaffarabad, capital of the Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK), Mr. Salahuddin said that the Hizb chief in Kashmir, Mr. Abdul Majid Dar, had been misquoted as having said that another ceasefire could be arranged in the next two months with efforts being made at the international level.

The Hizb chief said that Mr. Dar had meant that the situation would only be clear in the next two months. ``The ceasefire will be resumed only after India accepts our basic demands, whether in two days, two months or in 10 years.''

Mr. Salahuddin said the basic objective of his organisation was to find a solution to the Kashmir issue and not to indulge in bloodshed. ``We are prepared to take a step bigger than the ceasefire if India is prepared to meet our demands. Pakistan will back us in that step.''

He denied that there was any division in the Hizb ranks in the aftermath of the revocation of the ceasefire and alleged that a disinformation campaign has been launched to discredit his organisation.

In another development Osama bin Laden has said that the Kashmir problem could not be resolved by any other means other than jihad (holy war). In an interview to an Urdu weekly, Ghazi, he has been quoted as saying that fighting jihad against India was an Islamic duty of the Muslim world as India's hatred against Islam and Muslims was rising with every passing day.

He told the weekly that Kashmir was the ``lifeline of Pakistan'' and was inevitable for its economy and propserity. Pakistan was the heart of the Muslim world while jihad was its soul.

In a related development, the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen chief, Maulana Fazlur Rehman Khalil, said that even if Gen. Musharraf supported the ceasefire, his organisation would continue to fight for the ``liberation'' of Kashmir. Those who were talking of a renewal of talks with India were making attempts to create a rift among the Mujahideen.

Maulana Masood Azar, who was released from an Indian jail in December last in exchange for the passengers of the hijacked Indian Airlines plane, echoed similar sentiments while addressing public gatherings in the Sindh province. The administration had put a ban on his public appearances but he seems to have given a slip to the authorities.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Front Page
Previous : Vajpayee bids Ranga an affectionate farewell
Next     : 'Veerappan's response holds the key'