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Musharraf meets militant
groups to discuss summit

Notwithstanding the official denial in Pakistan, President Pervez Musharraf had an unpublicised meeting with militant groups last week, during which they reposed their confidence in his decision to hold a summit meeting with India.

They also agreed to join a ceasefire if the summit, to be held in Agra on Sunday, achieved a "breakthrough."

The assurance by the representatives of the jihadi outfits fighting in Kashmir was handed over to Musharraf at a meeting between him and the representatives of the United Jihadi Council last week, a newspaper report said Friday.

UJC, a conglomerate of 14 Pakistan-based jihadi groups fighting in Kashmir, is led by Hizubul Mujahideen leader Syed Salahuddin. Besides Hizb, it includes Harkat-ul-Mujahideen and 12 other minor militant groups committed to the Deoband school of Islamic militancy.

Lashkar-e-Tayiba, which has opposed the Indo-Pak summit, is not part of the UJC and has decided to step up attacks during Musharraf's three-day India visit.

"Musharraf was assured that the jihadi organisations would accept ceasefire in the Valley if India accepted Kashmir as a disputed territory and agreed to respect the wishes of the Kashmiri people," The Nation daily said.

The groups also urged the president to press for the inclusion of the Hurriyat Conference in a tripartite dialogue.

PTI
Indo-Pak Summit 2001: The Complete Coverage

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