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Pak plays the Salahuddin card
 Hizbul Mujahiddin chief Syed Salahuddin's offer to talk peace with New Delhi is seen as a move by the Pakistan administration to undermine the role of Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, who had displeased the Musharraf regime by ridiculing its peace moves on Kashmir. Prior to Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's visit to Delhi, the four major militant outfits which had jointly threatened passengers of the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service also included the Hizbul Mujahiddin (HM) headed by Salahuiddin apart from Lashkar-e-Taiba. However, as soon as Musharraf's visit to Delhi was finalised, some of these outfits like the HM began changing their tune. HM is the only militant outfit which has a base in J&K, since most of its members hail from the Valley, unlike the LeT which comprises largely foreign mercenaries. Geelani's pro-Pakistan politics had endeared him to the authorities there for several decades. However, after 9/11, the hardline politics pursued by Geelani no more suited the Pakistan administration. They tried to make him see reason but his intransigent attitude compelled them to look for a militant face with a moderate approach. And they found it in Hizbul Mujahiddin chief Salahuddin. Posted by: Fred 2005-04-25 |
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