Islamabad, May 16: Syed Salahuddin, the chief of Hizbul Mujahideen and head of United Jehad Council, an umbrella of all Pakistan-based Kashmiri militant groups has issued a warning to PML(N) chief Nawaz Sharif not to make the mistake of pushing for friendship with India by abandoning what he called the Kashmir cause.
"No government in Pakistan, whether it is Nawaz Sharif or anybody else, will remain in the chair if it abandons the Kashmir cause," he said.
In an interview to Indian Express, Salahuddin said: "Nawaz Sharif and his party's leadership must understand that till the time Kashmir is under India's occupation, the national security of Pakistan, the safety and security of its borders, and its economic stability is at stake."
"In the name of confidence building measures, in the name of friendship, in the name of trade and culture, moving ahead to establish a relationship with India, and going for a one-sided surrender on Kashmir, would hurt the feelings of the Kashmiri people and do irreparable damage to their confidence," Salahuddin said.
"If Pakistan is not able to help us militarily, it must continue to help us in diplomatic and political forums. "If (Sharif's government) shows one-sided flexibility, extends an unreciprocated hand of friendship towards India like Musharraf, it will be suicide. What did Pakistan get out of Musharraf's policies?"
Salahuddin challenged Pakistan to stop advocating Kashmir's cause if it felt that doing so would harm it. "But it must not stay silent on one pretext or the other — sometimes it is trade, sometimes it is culture."
Salahuddin said he disagreed with the broad political consensus in Pakistan that Kashmir was not the immediate priority.
"We disagree with that," he said. "We were trying to explain to President Musharraf too that if you want to take any measures on the diplomatic or political front, please do that, but the militant infrastructure on the ground is your basic leverage and provides you with your bargaining power. If you get anything, it is only because of that. And when your bargaining power is gone, what will you go to the table with? What have the weak ever achieved through negotiations?"
Salahuddin added, "I can tell you with authority that when Musharraf showed an apologetic approach and came up with a policy of retreat, he inflicted irreversible damage on our movement. India felt relaxed after his retreat, and started infiltrating into Balochistan."
Salahudin said. "In 2001 there was a ceasefire between India and Pakistan and a fence was erected across the border, but the mujahideen continued their activity. We can sustain our armed struggle without any foreign support for a hundred years — the topography of Kashmir is very favourable."
