New Delhi: Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin, in a recent interview to a Pakistan TV channel, has threatened India saying the outfit was capable of launching terror strikes “anytime and anywhere across India”.’
While owning up responsibility for promoting terror activities in the Kashmir Valley and specifically targeting security forces, Salahuddin claimed Hizbul Mujahideen had been procuring modern weapons from international arms dealers and the same were being used against Army and para-military forces in the Valley. “Till now our focus was on Indian occupation forces. All the operations that we have done or are underway, we focus only on the installations of these occupational forces,” Salahuddin said in an interview with Geo TV.
The Union home ministry on Monday criticised Salahuddin’s remarks against India and said his designation as a global terrorist by the United States was “well deserved”. The home ministry said that he has been encouraging subversive activities in the Kashmir Valley.’
Ministry spokesperson Ashok Prasad said the government has all along maintained that Salahud-din was a terrorist and the recent comments by him only go on to confirm government’s stand. “Putting Salahuddin in the category of a designated global terrorist by the US is well deserved,’’ he added.
The Congress also said that as the United States has classified Salahuddin as a “global terrorist”, now it’s their responsibility to track him down in Pakistan, arrest him and hand him over to India.
“Salahuddin has been the chief of Hizbul Mujahideen from its inception. He has been orchestrating terror attacks in India. Since, the USA has now classified him as a global terrorist. It’s now responsibility of USA to track him down in Pakistan, arrest him and hand it over to India,” Congress leader Manish Tewari told a news agency.
Last week, home secretary Rajiv Mehrishi had said the US move would not only help in restricting Salahuddin’s movement but also eventually choke his channel of funds. “Salahuddin was a coward who had run away to Pakistan. . The US declaration of naming him a designated global terrorist would impact his funding and movement,” Mr Mehrishi had said during sidelines of an event in the capital.
