Salahuddin receives warm welcome in AJK capital

• Making victory signs, HuM chief waves to crowd
• ‘US decision to not affect legitimate Kashmiri struggle’

Hizbul Mujahideen (HuM) supreme commander Syed Salahuddin has said the American decision to designate him as ‘global terrorist’ will not make any difference to the legitimate struggle he led for freedom in the disputed state of Jammu Kashmir.

He was addressing a press conference on Saturday at the Central Press Club here in the Azad Jammu Kashmir capital in reaction to the US State Department’s announcement of designating him as a ‘Specially Designated Global Terrorist’ (SDGT).

Earlier, the HuM chief received a warm welcome in Muzaffarabad and at many spots people showered rose petals on his vehicle. In his traditional appearance, he rose out of the sunroof of his vehicle and waved to the crowd and made victory signs.

At the presser, Salahuddin termed the Donald Trump administration’s move as idiotic taken to please and satisfy Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi without any reasoning and grounds. He was designated as a ‘global terrorists’ hours ahead of Trump-Modi meeting.

“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 the target-oriented actions by the freedom fighters,” he said.

“Wars are fought with courage and spirit that makes you use even a stone as an atomic bomb,” he said, referring to the stone pelting by youth in the other part of the state. He said the US and India could not quote a single incident to prove that the Kashmiri freedom fighters were terrorists.

“This decision will cast no effect on our determination. Rather it has already strengthened our resolve.” Salahuddin also said that even the American laws themselves did not support Trump administration’s decision. “It does not meet a single of the conditions for designating anyone as a global terrorist,” he said.

“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 the uprising.” He said that Kashmiri freedom fighters did possess the ability to hit Indian interests anywhere in India, but they exercised restraint so that India does not get an opportunity to gain favour of the international community and brand the 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 asserted. “We are justified to say that the ongoing armed struggle is legitimate and morally justified. Every freedom fighter is a legitimate freedom fighter and not a terrorist,” he said while quoting excerpts from the speech of the US permanent representative to the UN in June 1962 and pledges of Jwahar Lal Nehru, the first Indian prime minister.

It was the Indian army that was committing terrorism in Kashmir, he said, citing killing of youth during the crackdowns, arson of settlements and molestation of women by the Indian army.