MESSAGE BOARD NEWSLINKS US EDITION COLUMNISTS DIARY SPECIALS INTERVIEWS CAPITAL BUZZ REDIFF POLL DEAR REDIFF ELECTIONS ARCHIVES SEARCH REDIFF
Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani has attacked jehadi groups which spread hatred against India and resort to "emotional slogans like 'crush India'."
In a statement similar to the one made by Pakistan military ruler General Pervez Musharraf, which has drawn sharp criticism from militant organisations in his country, Geelani said, "Our struggle is not based on any enmity against India, nor on account of it being a Hindu majority state, but merely because India reneged on its promise to us that we would be allowed to decide our own future.
"I have repeatedly criticised groups which spread hatred against India. I have asked jehadi groups not to resort to emotional slogans such as 'crush India' as they are neither realistic nor do they reflect the spirit of Islam," Geelani, who is known to be a hardliner, told a Karachi-based magazine Newsline.
"We want India and its people to prosper and to do justice to the oppressed people of Jammu and Kashmir," he added.
He said he "often ask(ed) the Mujahideen to remember that their goal is the setting up of an Islamic state and social order where peace, justice and equality prevail for all, irrespective of religion."
Geelani, a staunch supporter of the merger of Jammu and Kashmir with Pakistan, said if the people of the state favoured to remain with India, he would "go by that verdict."
"At least give them a chance to decide," he added.
Geelani said the attitude of Pakistan's military regime was "very positive" and "realistic," but added that during the last 50 years, "the weak policies and parasitic character of successive Pakistani governments have reduced the Kashmir issue from an international one to a border dispute."
The Jamaat leader also criticised the Taleban regime in Afghanistan for imposing restrictions on women. "I seriously differ with them (the Taleban) on the issue of women's education," he said, adding "whether you educate your sons or not, I believe it is necessary to educate your daughters and sisters to build a healthy society."
Tell us what you think of this report
