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2003-08-24 India-Pakistan
Interview with Emir of Jaish-e-Mohammad
Maulana Masood Azhar has spent time in jails in India and Pakistan. He is a religious leader who supports Muslim separatists fighting in Indian-administered Kashmir. He features on India’s most wanted list of 20 people it accuses of terrorism. The group he leads, Jaish e Mohammad [JM], is accused of a string of deadly attacks on Indian targets, including one on parliament in Delhi in December 2001. He was detained for a year by authorities in Pakistan in connection with that attack, but never formally charged. The Lahore High Court ordered an end to his house arrest on 14 December 2002. Recently he sat down with Mohammad Shehzad for an interview for South Asia Tribune. Excerpts:

Q. How do you look at the current phase of peace talks between India and Pakistan?
This phase of peace talks clearly indicates that the current regime in Pakistan is too weak to resist India. It is coward and ready to kneel down before India at Vajpayee’s pleasure. I am really surprised to observe that our rulers are dying to embrace India despite the fact that the Indian leadership had declared Pakistan a fit case for pre-emptive strike comparing it with Iraq. It seems their honor has slept and there is a need to awaken it.

Q. How their honor could be awoken? Who would do this job?
It could be done by a true Muslim. It will be done through jihad. The rulers are the not the true Muslims. They are the lackeys of big powers. They are guided by the rules of international politics and diplomacy, not by the teachings of Islam and the precepts of the Holy Prophet. The intoxication of power has blinded them. They cannot think like an independent person. The fate of ummah cannot be left on them. By the grace of Almighty, there is a group of true Muslims among us. They can distinguish between the vice and virtue,
and Islam and kuffar. In every era, such virtuous Muslims—the mujahideen —have been fighting the immoral and corrupt rulers. They have been upholding the supremacy of Islam by fighting jihad against the enemies of Islam. We all—the mujahideen of JM are busy on this front—fighting a jihad against the worst enemy of Islam—the Indian army that is blatantly slaughtering the Kashmiri Muslims. So, only mujahideen can awake them from their slumber of oblivion through jihad.

Q. Are you saying that you are going to wage jihad against the state to wake up the leaders’ honor?
I am not suggesting a jihad against the state. The state consists of our brothers, sisters, and elders. No, I am not saying that we should take up guns against our own people. What I am trying to convey is, let the rulers work according to their own game plan—that, by the way is the game plan of the foreign powers that are anti-Islam and jihad. We will be following the agenda of Allah i.e. jihad against the oppressors to help the oppressed. Don’t you remember the Kargil! Traitor Nawaz Sharif was having a love-affair with Vajpayee and the then warrior of Islam—General Pervez Musharraf who has now unfortunately become the stable boy of Bush—was fighting a jihad and waking up the honor of honor-less Sharif. That’s what we are doing. We are teaching the Indian army a good lesson.

Q. How could you claim with so much confidence that you are teaching the Indian army a good lesson? Kashmir has not been freed yet!
Kashmir had been freed had Nawaz Sharif not auctioned the blood of Mujahideen to Bill Clinton. Kargil was a key to Kashmir’s conquest. But alas, mujahideen were betrayed. In my opinion, Nawaz Sharif is the murderer of 80,000 Kashmiris who have sacrificed their lives for the Kashmir cause. Kashmir’s freedom will take time. It will be freed with India’s disintegration—just like several Muslims states got freedom after the USSR’s disintegration.

Q. Why would India collapse? It’s economy is stable and strong and flourishing

How do you know this? These are just lies. Mujahideen are giving the Indians a very tough time. India is bleeding and will die soon.

Q. What is the current status of your group?
I am heading Khuddamul Islam, a tablighee [advocacy] organization that preaches Islam. Jaish e Mohammad is active only in Kashmir. It is working freely and there is no restriction on it.

Q. But how are you sustaining your jihad. You are no more supported by the establishment. General Pervez Musharraf has given this assurance to Richard Armitage.
We had not started jihad with Musharraf’s approval. We are supported by the lovers of jihad. I tell you that jihad is not fought with money or with the approval of the governments. It is fought with passion, spirit and commitment. Our mujahideen strap explosive around their bodies and blow themselves around the army camps causing the enemy colossal loss. Can you have that courage? I bet not even if I give you billions of rupees. As far as logistics are concerned, we are given donation by the true and fearful Muslims. We buy ammunition from the Indian army. Indian soldiers are corrupt. They sell the weapons and ammunition at throw away price because they have to buy liquor and prostitute. We also snatch ammunition from the Indian army in huge quantity. I tell you, the Indians are extremely coward and timid. They are very much afraid of death. They are horrified with the long beards of our mujahideen. They moment they see them, they surrender their arms and ammunition and beg for their life. So, we accept their weapons and let them go. Some times, we bargain with the Indian army. We place ambitious demands for weapons against the prisoners’ release and thus replenish our stock.

Q. Some workers of Jaish had killed the French engineers in Karachi. They have been sentenced to death. Any comments?
There are some political reasons behind it. But let me tell you that in my opinion, they are great mujahideen. They have rich contribution in Kashmir jihad. I am sure they will go to heaven.

Q. Why it is so that you are not in the good books of the Kashmiri mujahideen? They are quite suspicious about yourself

That’s not the case. It is RAW’s propaganda. JM has tremendous sacrifices for the Kashmir jihad.

Q. The Kashmiri mujahideen say that JM conducts operation in a clumsy manner. It’s operation kill the Kashmiris rather than the Indian army

I would not agree with this. We have consigned thousands of the Indian soldiers to the hell. Our operations are carefully planned. As I said, it is RAW’s propaganda to disunite us from the Kashmiri mujahideen.

Q. What is your opinion about General Musharraf?
I do not have a positive opinion about him. He is a traitor of Islam and jihad. He will do anything to save his uniform. He is cut above Nawaz Sharif. While Nawaz had sold the blood of Kashmiris and mujahideen. Musharraf has sold the blood of Kashmiris, mujahideen and Afghans.

Q. How do you look at Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s Delhi yatra?
Maulana is a man of double standards. He is speaking the same language in India that had been spoken by the officials of Government of Pakistan had they been in India. Rehman is a politician, not a jihadi. He pretends to be the apostle of jihad. Tell me, did he ever participate in jihad and serve jail. Did he ever send his own relatives for jihad? He can’t walk a few yards and sermonizes people for jihad! May Allah save us from such hypocrites. Ameen!
Posted by Paul Moloney 2003-08-24 12:29:57 AM|| || Front Page|| [1 views since 2007-05-07]  Top

#1 So even Fazl isn't bloodthirsty enough for Jaish-e-Mohammed? Give me a break. I giggled a bit though, when Azhar calls Fazl a chicken hawk and a big fat tub o'lard for good measure!
Posted by seafarious  2003-8-24 12:40:28 AM||   2003-8-24 12:40:28 AM|| Front Page Top

#2 May Allah save us from such raving lunatics like you, as well.
Posted by Charles 2003-8-24 1:07:59 AM||   2003-8-24 1:07:59 AM|| Front Page Top

#3 This "interview" is PakiSlam in a nutbag nutshell.
Posted by .com 2003-8-24 10:31:55 PM||   2003-8-24 10:31:55 PM|| Front Page Top

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