Pak. condemns killings

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD, AUG. 4. Islamabad and the Pakistan-based militant outfits have denied their involvement in the massacre of the Hindus in Kishtwar and alleged that the killings have been carried out by the ``Indian agencies'' to defame the militants.

A press statement from the Pakistan Foreign Office said today the Government of Pakistan condemned all such acts of terrorism. It added that the latest incident appeared to be aimed at ``discrediting the Kashmiri freedom movement.''

The Hizb-ul-Mujahideen chief, Syed Salahuddin, said in a press statement that ``Indian agents'' were behind the killings, carried out to divert international attention from police firing and custodial deaths in the State.

``The motive is to divert attention from the custodial killings and other deaths occurring ceaselessly in the Valley. I want to draw the attention of the world to the Chattisinghpura massacre and other such killings... We do not kill innocent civilians. Our war is against the Indian forces and it will continue as long as they do not quit the soil of Kashmir.''

``Secondly, India is out to give a communal colour to our liberation struggle, because it has failed to suppress the will of the Kashmiris for freedom despite use of brute force,'' Salahuddin said.

``They (Indians) are disappointed after their failure to rein in the activities of the mujahideen. And the killings of innocent civilians is the outcome of that frustration.''

In its reaction, the Lashkar-e-Taiba also condemned the massacre and dismissed the allegation that the outfit was behind it. ``Our religion does not permit killing of civilians whether they are Christians, Hindus, Sikhs or from any other religion. It is an act of Indian forces to defame the freedom fighters in Kashmir,'' the Lashkar spokesman, Mr. Abu Osama, said.

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