VOW TO FIGHT TILL KASHMIR IS FREED: HIZB CHIEF
Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin, declared a global terrorist by the US this week, vowed on Saturday to continue his armed struggle against Indian forces to liberate Jammu and Kashmir. “We will not end this fight without liberating Kashmir from India,” Salahuddin, 71, told a news conference in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The United States has declared Salahuddin, who also heads the Pakistan-based United Jihad Council, a “global terrorist” recently.
Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin, declared a global terrorist by the US this week, vowed on Saturday to continue his armed struggle against Indian forces to liberate Jammu and Kashmir.
“We will not end this fight without liberating Kashmir from India,” Salahuddin, 71, told a news conference in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
The US declared Salahuddin, who also heads Pakistan-based United Jihad Council, a “global terrorist” hours ahead of PM Narendra Modi’s maiden meeting with President Donald Trump in Washington on June 26, a decision the militant leader said was only made to appease India. He said the Hizbul Mujahideen targets Indian forces and the Islamic State and al-Qaeda have no presence in Kashmir.
“Donald Trump’s decision will be thrown out if anyone challenges it in American courts,” Salahuddin said.
He asked the UN to implement its resolutions and give the Kashmiri people the right to vote on independence or a merger with Pakistan. He said Hizbul Mujahideen may consider peace talks with India if Russia or China can guarantee that such parleys would produce results.
Salahuddin also led a rally in Muzaffarabad and praised Pakistan for support in Kashmir. Pakistan had described as “completely unjustified” the US designation of Salahuddin and reiterated its political and diplomatic support for the Kashmiri people’s “right to self-determination”. India welcomed the designation, saying it “vindicated” its long-standing position that crossborder terrorism perpetrated by groups based in Pakistan was behind disturbances in Kashmir.
The US decision came on a day Salahuddin issued a message calling for a week-long protest to mark the first death anniversary of Hizbul commander Burhan Wani, who was killed by Indian forces on July 8 last year.