Islamabad, February 05: A meeting of radical and militant groups organised by the JuD in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir today sought lifting of a ban on jehadi groups so that they could press on with their movement for “independence” of Kashmir.
A declaration unanimously adopted at Kashmir Solidarity conference organised by the JuD in PoK capital Muzaffarabad said the region’s status as a “base camp” for militant groups should be restored and the ban on Kashmiri jehadi groups should be lifted.
“If the rulers cannot help the Kashmiris, they should open the field for Kashmiri mujahideen instead of creating hurdles. They (mujahideen) will deal with India,” said the declaration issued in Urdu.
The meeting was the first major public event organised by the JuD since the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
“The rulers (of Pakistan) must desist from becoming part of international conspiracies to project the American agenda on Kashmir. The Kashmiri nation will continue its freedom movement with full force despite all conspiracies,” it said.
The radical groups also pledged to foil any effort aimed at forging a “friendship treaty and trade with India”.
The conference was addressed by Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin, Al-Badr leader Bakht Zamin, United Jehad Council general secretary Sheikh Jamilur Rehman, senior JuD leaders Abdul Aziz Alvi and Abdur Rehman Makki and former Inter-Services Intelligence agency chief Hamid Gul, JuD spokesman Yahya Mujahid told agency on phone.
The group had been lying low for several months following a limited crackdown on its leaders after the UN Security Council declared it a front for the Lashker-e-Taiba.
Authorities had cracked down after former President Pervez Musharraf gave an assurance that Pakistani territory will not be allowed to be used for anti-India activities.
It was also the first major gathering of radical and militant groups to be held in PoK in several years to mark the Kashmir Solidarity Day, which is observed across Pakistan every year on February 5.
In their declaration, the radical groups also urged the Pakistan government to launch a campaign in the international community to “expose Indian water terrorism” ? a reference to allegations that India had been choking of the flow of river waters to Pakistan.
India has already rejected such allegations.
The groups held Pakistan’s rulers responsible for divisions in the All Parties Hurriyat Conference.
“The differences emerged after the rulers left the fundamental slogan of ‘Kashmir is Pakistan’s lifeline’.
“If the rulers are sincere about resolving the Kashmir issue, they should stand by the longstanding policy on Kashmir,” the declaration said.
The groups also called on the Hurriyat to set aside differences and show unity in taking forward the “freedom movement” in Kashmir.
They said self-governance and demilitarisation could not be alternatives to the UN resolutions on Kashmir.
The conference in Muzaffarabad was the first of a series of meetings and rallies that are being organised in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Quetta and Peshawar to observe Kashmir Solidarity Day.
JuD chief Hafiz Mohammed Saeed will address a Friday prayer congregation and a conference in Lahore tomorrow, JuD spokesman Mujahid said.
Earlier reports had said that Saeed, blamed by India for the Mumbai attacks, would address a meet in Islamabad.
Senior JuD leader Abdur Rehman Makki will deliver a sermon at a Friday prayer congregation in Rawalpindi tomorrow and then lead a rally to the Aabpara area in Islamabad.
There will also be a public meeting at Aabpara, where the radical Lal Masjid is located.
-PTI