Hafiz Is to Pakistan What Bal Thackeray is to India: Musharraf

Pervez Musharraf has equated Hafiz Saeed to late Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray in an interview.

Former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf. (Photo: Reuters)

In an interview to a Pakistani channel, Pakistan’s former president General Pervez Musharraf made scathing comments about Bal Thackeray and Pakistan’s support to extremist outfits in the past.

Musharraf has equated the alleged mastermind of 26/11 Mumbai attacks Hafiz Saeed with the Shiv Sena and the RSS.

He also remarked that the people who are demanding action against the fugitive Jamaat-ud-Dawah chief in Pakistan were simply toeing the Indian line.

<p>This is what is happening there. Are we catching any Sena leader? Wasn’t Bal Thackeray a terrorist? Did anybody catch him? A serving Colonel was involved in the Samjautha blast in which 100 Pakistanis were killed. You are talking about Saeed, give us that. </p>

<p><b>Pervez Musharraf, former Pakistan President</b></p>

Musharraf also listed Shiv Sena’s recent protests against Pakistan.

“They do not play cricket with us. You saw what happened with (Pakistan cricket board chief) Shahryar Khan. The face of (ex-Pakistan foreign minister Khurshid Mahmud) Kasuri’s book release organiser was blackened. Ghulam Ali’s concert was banned and he was thrown out,” he said.

Hafiz Saeed on top left, Afghan Taliban on bottom left and Osama Bin Laden on the right (Photo: Reuters)

Pak Supported Terror Outfits in the Past: Musharraf

Taking it a notch ahead Musharraf acknowledged that in the past Pakistan supported the Taliban, Jalaluddin Haqqani, Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri. He also said they were heroes to Pakistan in the 80s and 90s but clarified that, that is not the case anymore as “the hero has become a villain”.

He admitted that Pakistan supported and trained terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba in 1990s to carry out militancy in Kashmir.

<p>In 1990s the freedom struggle began in Kashmir. At that time Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and 11 or 12 other organisations were formed. We supported them and trained them as they were fighting in Kashmir at the cost of their lives. </p>

<p><b>Pervez Musharraf to <i>Dunya News</i></b></p>

Musharraf said that “religious militancy” was started by Pakistan which brought militants from all over the world to fight against Soviet forces.

He said in 1979, Pakistan was in favour of religious militancy.

“We trained Taliban and sent them to fight against Russia,” he said, adding that people need to understand the whole environment at that time.