LAHORE: Jamaatud Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed on Friday backtracked from his earlier statement about the alleged role of India and the US in his house arrest, claiming he was detained by the Pakistan government to stop him from raising the Kashmir issue.
“It was not the Modi government…but our own Pakistani government that had detained me for 10 months. The Pakistani government wanted to stop me from raising the Kashmir issue,” Saeed said while speaking at the Nazria Pakistan Trust in Lahore.
“Rulers are not sincere in resolving the Kashmir Issue. Last year, when we announced to observe the year 2017 for Kashmiris, I was detained for 10 months in Pakistan and Syed Ali Gilani, Aasia Andrabi and other Kashmiri leaders were detained in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK). However, now we have decided to again observe the year 2018 for Kashmir and started programmes to express solidarity with Kashmiris,” he claimed.
It may be mentioned here that Saeed at various times had blamed India and the US for his detention, saying the Pakistani government had put him under house arrest under pressure from India and the US. He was released from house arrest last November after the court’s orders.
The 2008 Mumbai attack mastermind further said the Pakistan government should not ignore the “atrocities” in Kashmir and play its role to help the Kashmiri people secure freedom.
“I fail to understand as to why Islamabad is ignoring the sacrifices of Kashmiri people. Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi should stage a sit-in along with at least five members of his Cabinet outside the office of the UN on February 5 to express solidarity with the Kashmiri people,” he said.
Saeed, the founder of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, has a bounty of USD 10 million on his head.
“I really get hurt when I am called a terrorist by elements in the Pakistani media for speaking on the issue of Kashmir,” he said.
