MESSAGE BOARD NEWSLINKS US EDITION COLUMNISTS DIARY SPECIALS INTERVIEWS CAPITAL BUZZ REDIFF POLL DEAR REDIFF ELECTIONS ARCHIVES SEARCH REDIFF
Stung by Gen Pervez Musharraf's criticism of the "jehadi groups" anti-India posture, Pakistan-based militant outfits Lashkar-e-Tayiba and the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen mounted a bitter attack on the Pakistan military ruler.
LeT chief Hafeez Mohammad Saeed said Musharraf will have to "pay the price" for his "emerging friendship" with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Replying to Musharraf's appeal to Pakistan's Islamic clergy to stop making statements like that of hoisting an Islamic flag at the Red Fort in New Delhi, Sayeed referred to the LeT militant's attack on the Indian army contingent at the fort last December, and said by attacking it, the mujahideen hit the very base of the Indian Army.
Saeed said dialogue with Indian leaders could not be successful until it recognised the right of self-determination of Kashmiris.
Harkat-ul-Mujahideen secretary general Maulana Fazlur Rehman Khalil regretted Musharraf's statement on June 5, at a religious conference, in which he appealed to clerics not to make tall claims and irresponsible statements, and said the military ruler attacked the ulema (Islamic clerics) even before he went to New Delhi to please the Indian leadership.
"India is a very cunning country and Musharraf should understand the Hindu mentality before leaving for India," he said, adding that he should direct the strong language against India.
The Hizbul Mujahideen, however, said the Musharraf-Vajpayee summit was a breakthrough. "Vajpayee has invited Musharraf, this is a breakthrough," it said.
"Earlier, the Indian prime minister put a condition that Pakistan should stop cross-border terrorism and wanted to talk to only a democratically elected government. But now he has taken a U-turn, ignoring his two conditions," it told a Pakistan news agency.
It, however, said Kashmiris were not hopeful about the outcome of the summit between Vajpayee and Musharraf as India "was not serious in holding a dialogue on the Kashmir issue".
"We have not yet received any signal to attach any importance to forthcoming summit."
You may also want to see Attack on Red Fort
Tell us what you think of this report
