Pakistan rejects India-US joint notification against Hizb-ul-Mujahideen head
The US State Department imposed sanctions on Syed Salahuddin on Monday
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Pakistan has rejected India-United States joint notification that designated chief of Kashmiri’ Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, Syed Salahuddin a Specially Designated Global Terrorist.
Spokesperson for the Foreign Office (FO) has held the designation non-favourable for peace and stability in South Asia. The office has stated that it is unacceptable to brand Kashmiris’ struggle for freedom, terrorism.
The department has lambasted Indian government in its reaction after the notification for sponsoring Taliban in Afghanistan against Pakistan.
Zakaria further said that Donald Trump-Narendra Modi meeting was an opportunity to ask India to quit peace-compromising policies. He further said that sale of advanced weaponry to India would trigger her into coercive campaign against Pakistan.
Earlier this week, the US State Department imposed sanctions on Syed Salahuddin.
The move means the United States now considers Salahuddin, also known as Mohammad Yusuf Shah, a "Specially Designated Global Terrorist," the State Department said in a statement.
Salahuddin in September vowed to block any peaceful resolution to the Kashmir conflict, officials said, threatened to train more suicide bombers, and turn the disputed valley "into a graveyard for Indian forces."
The designation slaps sanctions on "foreign persons who have committed, or pose a significant risk of committing, acts of terrorism that threaten the security of US nationals or the national security, foreign policy, or economy of the United States," the statement read.
The new sanctions mean American citizens are generally barred from doing business with Salahuddin, and all his assets subject to United States jurisdiction are blocked.
Hizb-ul-Mujahideen is one of several homegrown groups that have for decades been fighting around half a million Indian troops deployed in the region, calling for independence or a merger with Pakistan.
The State Department said that under Salahuddin, Hizb-ul-Mujahideen has claimed responsibility for several attacks.
Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since their independence from Britain in 1947, but both claim the territory in its entirety.
The designation was announced just before Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was due at the White House for his first face-to-face meeting with President Donald Trump.
