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Kashmir our unfinished agenda: Pak

Pakistan has said it considered Kashmir as its 'unfinished agenda' and that Islamabad wanted jihad (holy war) in Kashmir to continue.

"We respect jihadi outfits and we never called for giving up jihad in Kashmir," Pakistan's Interior Minister Moinuddin Haider said in a face-to-face meeting with leaders of various Pakistan-based militant organisations.

"We do say that what is going on in Kashmir is indigenous jihad and not terrorism," Urdu daily Jang, which organised the meeting, said in its report on Friday.

He said Islamabad considers Kashmir as an unfinished agenda of Pakistan and it would not backtrack on the issue.

The minister said whatever he was saying was not his individual thoughts but the policy of the present Pakistani government.

On his threats to ban open display of arms and public collection of funds by jihadi groups, Haider said, "If any individual or outfit refuses to abide by the laws, stern action would be taken."

He said the ban would apply on all outfits, particularly the sectarian groups.

Haider's comments came when the militant leaders said that the Pakistan government should not have 'apologetic attitude' over helping the militants.

"We do get military aid from Pakistan but instead of admitting it, apologetic attitude is being adopted in this regard, which gives a negative impact," Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin said.

He said, "If the State (Pakistan) would not fulfil its responsibilities, people would take power in their hands."

The Hizb chief said military pressure on India should be intensified as militants had already rejected the ceasefire announced by the government.

"Ceasefire might be a step towards the resolution of the Kashmir issue but not a cure for the disease," he said.

Salahuddin and other militant leaders told Haider that they were ready to co-operate with the military regime on issues relating to Pakistan's security provided the Musharraf government acknowledged that it was their suicide attacks that made India declare a ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir, the report said.

Terming jihad as a 'Quranic verdict', Lashkar-e-Tayiba chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed said, "Mujahideen do not want to indulge in politics nor have they political motives. But they are fighting jihad for suppressed Kashmiris."

" Jihad in Kashmir should be strengthened to save Pakistan as political efforts have failed to resolve the issue," Saeed said.

The Lashkar chief blamed the Pakistani government for the gun culture in Pakistan, saying people were allowed to fire thousands of rounds from guns during the recent Spring festival at Lahore.

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