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Hafiz Saeed Praises Pathankot Violence, Warns Of Further Attacks

Hafiz Saeed Praises Pathankot Violence, Warns Of Further Attacks
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Editorial Producer, HuffPost India

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LAHORE, PUNJAB, PAKISTAN - 2015/01/18: Hafiz Saeed, head of the banned Islamic charity Jamat-ud-Dawa, addresses demonstrators during a rally against a decision by the controversial French magazine 'Charlie Hebdo' to publish a depiction of the Prophet Muhammad. Around 10,000 people rallied against French magazine Charlie Hebdo, banning for militant links and urged protesters to boycott French products in Pakistan. (Photo by Rana Sajid Hussain/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)

MUZAFFARABAD -- Hafiz Saeed, alleged mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai attacks and leader of the banned Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) group, encouraged further violence following the air base assault in Pathankot that left seven Indian soldiers dead.

Addressing a rally of around one thousand people in the disputed Pakistan-occupied Kashmir region, Saeed said: "800,000 Indian troops are committing genocide on Kashmiris. Don't they have a right to carry out Pathankot style attacks for their defence?"

Saeed, who remains a free man, also lauded Kashmiri militant leader Sayed Salahuddin, who heads the United Jihad Council (UJC) that has claimed responsibility for the attack.

"You have only seen one attack on Pathankot. Matters could easily escalate."

Crowds at the rally shouted slogans including "The war will continue until the liberation of Kashmir" and "We are ready for jihad".

Indian officials believe another group -- the Pakistan based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) -- was behind the siege.

Saeed's freedom and his frequent calls for jihad against India irk New Delhi, which considers JuD -- a UN designated "terror organisation" -- to be no more than a front for Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), the militant group blamed for the 2008 Mumbai attacks that left 166 people dead.

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-- This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.