LoC drama a cover-up for gang rape and Afghan loss: Hafiz

Jamaat-ud-Dawah founder Hafiz Muhammad Saeed has in an interview with a Pakistani news channel said that India has always maintained double standards when it came to relationship with Pakistan. Tahir Ali reports

Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, the alleged mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, has claimed that India created the Line of Control issue merely to divert attention of the global community from Delhi gang-rape case.

In an interview with ARY TV channel, Hafiz Saeed said, "The world community took notice of the gang rape in New Delhi. To divert attention, the LoC drama was created. Indian Army entered the Pakistani territory and killed one of our soldiers, injured another and then blamed Pakistan. When Pakistan strongly protested, the Indians -- following its past trends -- started propaganda and blamed our Jamaat (group) and our people."

Talking about Indian media report that Hafiz Saeed came to Poonch and organised the cross border attack, he said: "I challenge them (India). If they prove that I visited the areas in the last few weeks, months or even years, I will accept all their allegations. But if they cannot, New Delhi must admit that they always lie and indulge in politics of propaganda."

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Besides the Delhi gang rape cover-up, according to Hafiz Saeed, another reason behind the Indian propaganda could be the latter's failure to get a greater role in Afghanistan.

"India has been disappointed by the US; it was not given the role it wanted in Afghanistan. Pakistan beat India in this field (Afghanistan). So the Indians are nursing a grudge and have launched a propaganda war. But they will be defeated in this war," he said.

The founder of banned Jamaat-ud-Dawah said that India has always maintained double standards when it came to relationship with Pakistan.

"India will talk of friendship, but will also hatch plots to make Pakistan weaker. India has not accepted Pakistan from the core of its heart," he said.

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Citing an instance, he said, "On one hand, India was talking about relaxing the visa policy and trade activities, but on the other it was planning terrorist activities in Balochistan and Indian agents were found in target killings. A responsible Pakistan government during in-cameras meeting in parliament has revealed these things."

On Islamabad granting status of Most-Favoured Nation to India, Saeed retorted, "We are not against trade. Business deals could be done with any non-Muslim. But India has always tried its best to destabilize Pakistan. So we say that before giving MFN status, India's past role should be kept in mind. Actually India has bitten Pakistan so many times that now there is no place to receive any further injury."

Responding to a question about his involvement in Mumbai attacks, he said: "India has proved nothing against us. After the Mumbai attacks they levelled allegation against us, but when the time came to produce evidence they failed. First our high court and then the Supreme Court rejected all the evidences presented by India. There is no evidence for legal action. So the court cleared our Jamaat and I was freed."