Author:
Publication: Rediff on Net
Date: October 19, 2001
URL: http://www.rediff.com/us/2001/oct/19ny8.htm
The Pakistan-based chief of Al Badr
has warned India that it would be "taught a tough lesson" if it acts against
Kashmiri mujahideen groups, Online news agency reports.
Bakht Zameen said he took strong
exception to re-appointed Indian Defence Minister George Fernandes' recent
remarks, and what he called unprovoked Indian firing along the Line of
Control (LoC).
Fernandes had said that Indian military
action against terror groups operating in Jammu and Kashmir would be stepped
up.
"Mujahideen are fully alive to the
situation and on high alert to tackle any air strike by Indian forces,"
Zameen told Online.
"India has always striven to exploit
the situation to undertake any hostile or belligerent action against Pakistan
and dub the Kashmir freedom movement as a terrorist movement, but has become
exposed in the eyes of the world community, (more so)...in the wake terrorist
incidents in the US," he claimed.
Zameen said the US ban on Pakistan-based
Harkat-ul-Mujahideen and Jaish-e-Mohammad guerrilla groups would not affect
the "freedom movement" in Jammu and Kashmir and would rather help in accelerating
it.
"Such decisions would further intensify
the resentment and flare up the sentiments of the entire Muslim world against
the US," he cautioned.
Zameen denied the existence of any
terrorist training camps in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and claimed that
all jehadi activities are being carried out from within Jammu and Kashmir.
He also denied the existence of
Saudi renegade Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda network in Jammu and Kashmir.
He alleged that the Indians claimed the organisation was present in Kashmir
to portray the "freedom movement" as terrorist activity.
Appealing to the Muslim community
to help poor Afghans, Zameen condemned the continuous US bombardment of
innocent civilians. He also asked the Pakistan government to review its
policy of supporting the US strikes keeping in view that Washington had
in the past always used Pakistan to serve its own interests.
Zameen also described the Organisation
of Islamic Conference (OIC), which has not opposed the U.S. action against
Afghanistan, as "good for nothing".
Zameen appealed to Muslim youths
across the world to prepare for jehad to counter the powers acting against
Islam and Muslims.
The Jaish-e-Mohammaad has threatened
suicide attacks on Indian cities to avenge this week's "punitive attacks"
on Pakistani military posts by the Indian Army.
Indo-Asian News Service
