Outlawed Jamaat-ud-Dawah chief Hafiz Saeed, who orchestrated the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, on Thursday addressed a public rally at the ground of historical monument Minar-e-Pakistan here spewing venom on India and the US.
Saeed, who roams around freely in Pakistan despite being a designated terrorist, said the “Pakistanis and Kashmiris are blood brothers and they cannot be separated.”
“The elections in Kashmir cannot be a substitute of plebiscite,” Saeed, who is also the founder of banned terror group laskar-e-Taiba, told his supporters.Speaking at the two-day congregation of JuD, Saeed said: “Efforts are being made to declare Jehad terrorism.”Saeed, who was guarded by JuD men, said some elements had been trying to make Pakistan a slave of the US, the World Bank and IMF. “The JuD will foil all such decisions,” he added.
Pakistan Government is running two special trains to transport people to lahore for the JuD’s congregation, in a sign of official patronage to Saeed.The two special trains — from Hyderabad and Karachi in Sindh province — will also take the people back to their hometowns on the conclusion of the congregation. In a related development, Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tahreek-i-Insaf had also postponed its call to block lahore on December 4 on the “request” of the JuD leadership.
In a strong reaction to Pakistan’s support to Saeed-led JuD for its congregation, India termed it as a “blatant disregard” of global norms against terrorism.“Supporting UN-sanctioned individual or entity is blatant disregard of global norms against terrorism,” Government sources said in New Delhi.
Tightening its noose around lashkar-e-Taiba, the US in June added its affiliates, including the JuD, to its list of designated terror organisations.