Jehadis back in the limelight

Prashun Bhaumik |

By Our Correspondent 

Former President Pervez Musharraf’s political foes were overjoyed when he finally called it quits. But another lot that seems to be equally happy to see him go is the group of jehadi leaders who had been forced to go underground during his rule of nearly nine years.

Within days of Musharraf’s resignation on August 18, groups like the Lashker-e-Toiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed reopened their offices in the Pakistani port city of Karachi and stepped up their fund-raising activities. One militant leader making desperate efforts to return to the limelight is Lashker-e-Toiba founder Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, who now runs the Jamat-ud-Dawah.

Hardly a day goes by without Saeed issuing statements that spew venom at India and reaffirm his group’s support for the ‘Kashmiri brethren’ and their ‘right to self-determination’. And there seem to be no dearth of takers for Saeed’s brand of jehad in Jammu and Kashmir – separatist leaders Yasin Malik and Shabbir Shah are among those who have been in touch with the man who is planning to stage a series of rallies across Pakistan to raise awareness about the Kashmir issue. Saeed led the first of the rallies on Sunday (August 31) in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad.