BURHAN WANI CALLED ME: HAFIZ SAEED

Jamat- ud- Dawah ( JuD) chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, the mastermind of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, while responding to this newspaper’s queries from Islamabad, said that Hizbul Mujahideen’s Burhan Wani had spoken to him a few days before the latter was killed in an encounter with the Indian security forces. Q: Did you ever speak to Burhan Wani? If yes, what was the nature of the talk? A: Burhan was a Kashmiri and held me in high regard. He called me a few days before the encounter to say that it was his last wish to talk to me before he was martyred. He sought prayers for himself and Kashmir’s freedom. This was the only contact he had. Q: What is the purpose behind JuD supporting the “Kashmir caravan” when we all know that the trucks in this “caravan” will never be able to enter Kashmir? A: The purpose is clear, we have told the Kashmiri people that they are not alone. This caravan is a display of solidarity with the Kashmiri people and a message to the world that Kashmir is a disputed territory and the world cannot brush it off as an internal issue of India. The caravan will go to Srinagar, it’s just a matter of time. The struggle of the Kashmiri people has reached new heights. Burhan is the face of freedom now. Q: Are you working on realigning your priorities? From a terrorist to a social worker to a politician? A: I was never a terrorist. It’s a problem with Indian perception that has been affected by arrogance and lust of regional power that is depriving people of their basic rights and when they demand it, they become ter-