ISLAMABAD: Kashmiri militant commander Syed Salahuddin on Thursday joined the growing number of terrorist leaders who have re-emerged in Pakistan after the resignation of former President Pervez Musharraf, addressing a large gathering of jehadi groups in Muzaffarabad.
Speaking at a "defence of Jammu and Kashmir conference" in the capital of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, Salahuddin urged the Pakistan government to end all ties with India and to break off the ongoing peace process as it had "failed to produce any results".
Salahuddin, who is "supreme commander" of the banned Hizbul Mujahideen and chairman of the United Jehad Council, also said the governments of Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir should set aside a sizeable part of their budgets for the "freedom movement" in Jammu and Kashmir.
He accused India of not being serious about the peace process.
Salahuddin, who had been lying low along with other jehadi leaders during Musharraf regime, also called for the opening of all trade routes between the two parts of Kashmir. This will allow people from both sides to trade freely and interact, he said.
TV news channels aired footage of Salahuddin addressing a large gathering and leading a rally through the streets of Muzaffarabad. A total of 40 jehadi groups and political parties attended the conference.
Since Musharraf resigned on August 18, several jehadi leaders and groups, including the Lashker-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, have stepped up their activities in Pakistani cities like Karachi.
Lashker-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, who now heads the Jamat-ud-Dawah, led a "Kashmir solidarity rally" from Rawalpindi to Islamabad on Sunday.
Saeed also issued a number of statements on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir and announced that he would cooperate with Kashmiri separatist leaders like Yasin Malik.
