Misunderstanders of Islam gather together and misunderstand the inner spiritual struggle. “Pakistani hardliners vow holy war to liberate Kashmir,” by Sajjad Qayyum for AFP, March 23:
KOTLI, Pakistan — Pakistani hardliners on Tuesday vowed to wage a holy war to liberate the disputed Himalayan state of Kashmir from Indian control.
About 5,000 people attended a rally in the town of Kotli in Pakistan-administered Kashmir about 80 kilometres (50 miles) east of Islamabad, shouting: “We are ready for jihad (holy war), we are ready for jihad!” […]
“Diplomacy, talks and negotiations spanned over several decades have not worked,” said Syed Salahuddin, chairman of the United Jihad Council, which consists of 16 Islamist groups, militant outfits and political parties.
“The only way to liberate Kashmir is jihad,” said Salahuddin, who also leads Hizbul Mujahedin, a militant group fighting Indian rule in Kashmir.
He denied that the jihadi groups were behind attacks within Pakistan.
More than 3,100 people have been killed in suicide attacks and bomb blasts across the nation since July 2007, which are blamed on Islamist militants opposed to the government’s alliance with the United States.
Tuesday’s rally was also attended by leaders of Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), a charity widely viewed as a front for banned Islamist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) which India and the United States blamed for the Mumbai attacks.
A resolution adopted after the meeting said: “Jihad will continue until India ends its occupation of Kashmir.”
And beyond that, no doubt.