Hafiz Masood, the younger brother of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed, and member of the JuD, has claimed that Saeed has been wrongly accused, and that his house arrest is a result of pressure by the United Nations whose hands have been forced by the Indian and the United States governments.
Speaking to CNN-News18, Masood blamed the Indian government for working behind the scenes to ensure that focus is diverted from the problems of the Kashmiris under Indian rule.
He also distanced the under-fire JuD from the LeT, which has been a fountainhead of terrorism in Indian-administered Kashmir, while also adding that the United States was behind the move to lock up his brother.
We have nothing to do with Laskhar-e-Taiba. It is a result of a Kashmiri indigenous movement and it is working without any support of the JuD.
Listen to the first part of the interview here.
Hafiz Masood added that the Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had succumbed to external pressures, however he stopped short of blaming him for his actions. Wary of ruffling more feathers within the Pakistani government, he said that Sharif is a friend of Kashmiris who is reaching out to India, but that India is rejecting peace and oppressing Kashmiris.
He urged Sharif to give more support to Kashmiris.
Nawaz Sharif has reached out to India in the hope of friendship. It is his strategy, he thinks issues will be solved through peace and friendship. But we don’t trust India. It has responded with violence in response to Pakistan’s offer of peace.
In an interview conducted at an undisclosed time, Hafiz Masood made several revelations.
He claimed that Hafiz Saeed is under observation by the government, however despite the Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief’s house arrest under Pakistan’s Anti-Terrorism Act, the activities of the organisations have been going on without any disturbance.
He went on to add that JuD, which India claims is a front for banned terror organisation LeT, is carrying out work for the benefit of the Pakistani people and is assisting the state by running schools and dispensaries for the underprivileged.
Listen to the second part of the interview here.
Earlier, in a move signalling tacit acknowledgement of his links to militancy, Mumbai attack mastermind and JuD/LeT chief Hafiz Saeed had been listed under Pakistan's Anti-Terrorism Act by the provincial Punjab government.
It was reported that the Punjab government has included names of Saeed and one of his close aides, Qazi Kashif, in the fourth schedule of the Anti-Terrorism Act. Three other men were also added to the list – Abdullah Obaid from Faisalabad, Zafar Iqbal, and Abdur Rehman Abid from the Markaz-i-Taiba, Muridke.
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