MUZAFFARABAD: Hizbul Mujahideen’s supreme commander Syed Salahuddin on Saturday described his designation as a “global terrorist” as an “idiotic step” taken by United States President Donald Trump’s administration to appease Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi while ignoring the ground realities in India-held Kashmir.

However, he asserted that the decision would not make any difference to the legitimate struggle of the Kashmiris for their usurped right to self-determination.

“We have slapped this idiotic step back on the face of both leaders to make the world understand that this foolishness can neither weaken our resolve, nor stop the freedom struggle and target-oriented actions by the freedom fighters,” he said at a crowded press conference, five days after the US State Department declared him a “specially designated global terrorist” shortly before a meeting of Mr Modi with Mr Trump.

“Wars are fought with courage and spirit that make you use even a stone as an atomic bomb,” he said, referring to the stone pelting by unarmed youth in India-held Kashmir.

Mr Salahuddin, who arrived at the press club in a big procession from his organisation’s office in Tahli Mandi, claimed that even the American laws did not support the Trump administration’s decision. “It does not meet even a single of the conditions for designating anyone as a global terrorist,” he said.

Says US move won’t affect Kashmir struggle

“This is a challenge from Syed Salahuddin,” he said thrice, and added: “You cannot quote a single example which can be defined as an act of terrorism which I have myself committed or ordered to be committed during the last 27 years of militancy.”

Mr Salahuddin claimed that Kashmiri militants possessed the ability to hit Indian interests anywhere in India, “but we exercised restraint so that India does not get an opportunity to gain favour of the international community and brand our legitimate and lawful struggle as terrorism”.

“A struggle backed by the UN Charter as well as 18 resolutions of the Security Council, still pending on the agenda, can never be categorised as a terrorist movement.”

He said India had made several desperate attempts in the past to get the Kashmir freedom movement dubbed as terrorism, but had to cut a sorry figure.

He also quoted excerpts from a speech delivered by the US permanent representative to the United Nations in June 1962 as well as the pledges made by the first Indian prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, on various occasions and said the ongoing struggle at the “diplomatic, political and military fronts” was in accordance with the “moral and legal demands”.

“Every freedom fighter is a legitimate freedom fighter and not a terrorist. The US and India cannot quote a single incident to prove that the Kashmiri freedom fighters are terrorists.”

Freedom movement

He said Kashmiris were the most peaceful nation who had used peaceful means for 42 years for the settlement of their issue, failure of which had forced them to go for an armed struggle in 1989.

But, he added, even the armed struggle was driven by a ‘code of conduct’, devised centuries ago by the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him), whereby the targets were army personnel and installations and not the civilians.

“In fact, the Indian army is committing terrorism in Kashmir,” he said, while citing ruthless use of bullets and pellets, arbitrary arrests and incidents of arson and molestation of women at the hands of Indian army.

Alluding to Mr Modi, he asked why the US had given a “red carpet reception” to a person whose hands were stained with the blood of over 2,000 Muslims of Gujarat and scores of low-caste Hindus and who had earlier been denied a US visa for the very reason.

“The foolishness by Mr Trump to please and satisfy the sentiments of the world’s biggest terrorist will cost both countries dearly,” he warned, vowing that the struggle of the Kashmiris would continue till the eviction of the last Indian soldier.

The Kashmiri leader regretted that while Pakistan had always supported the US and suffered huge losses as a frontline state in the war against terrorism, the US had deceived it on all occasions and preferred India over it.

Mr Salahuddin also dismissed speculation about the presence of the militant Islamic State group or Al Qaeda in Kashmir.

He thanked China, apart from Pakistan, for “supporting the cause of Kashmiris”.

However, he stressed that Pakistan should expedite its “sluggish” efforts on the diplomatic front to garner maximum support for the Kashmiris, besides fighting the US decision on the legal front.

Published in Dawn, July 2nd, 2017