Former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf on Sunday called the Lashkar-e-Taiba a “great NGO” that has done “good work” in Kashmir, and said he was open to forming a political alliance with it.
In an interview with the Pakistani news channel Aaj News, Musharraf said that the Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jamaat-ud-Dawa were unnecessarily being “pushed to the wall”.
“This is our country,” Musharraf said. “We know best about our internal situation and who are the good people and who are the bad people in our country. No one should dictate us on who to arrest.” He “proudly repeated” that both the LeT and JuD were “very good organisations, and work for the benefit of Pakistan”.
About forming a political alliance with the two organisations, Musharraf said that “so far, there has be no talks with them but if they want to be part of the alliance, I would welcome them”.
He said no one has made as many sacrifices in Kashmir as Lashkar-e-Taiba, yet the international community called its activities terrorism, but ignored the political situation in Kashmir.
Last week, Musharraf had said that he was “fond of Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed” and is the “biggest supporter” of the Lashkar-e-Taiba and its actions in Kashmir.
He had told Pakistani news channel ARY News, “I’m the biggest supporter of Lashkar-e-Taiba and I know the LeT and JuD people like me.”
“The LeT has been the biggest force in pressuring the Indian Army in Kashmir,” he had then said.
Saeed, a United Nations-designated terrorist, was freed from house arrest on November 24 after an order from the Lahore High Court. The United States and India reacted sharply against the verdict. India alleges that Saeed was the mastermind of the deadly terror attacks in Mumbai on November 26, 2008.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!