Pakistan’s former military ruler Pervez Musharraf on Thursday said ISI trains LeT and Jaish militants and terror attacks in India will not stop until New Delhi addresses the “core” issue of Kashmir.
“Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) trains Jaish-e- Mohammad (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists,” said Musharraf.
“Pakistan army is not training civilians. Intelligence organisation on our side as well as on your side is involved,” he said in an interview to India Today TV.
When asked if he sees any progress in the India-Pak peace process, Musharraf said, “Everything will stop if you address the core issue. The unfortunate terrorists acts and the militancy will continue unless we address the core issue. That is what you don’t want to do,” he said.
“Kashmir continues to arouse sentiments in Pakistan,” the 72-year-old former president said as he defended terrorist activities in India.
“Anyone who is fighting in Kashmir is a freedom fighter,” he said.
“I don’t think we will move forward on the core issue. You don’t want. You want to bulldoze us, you want to bully us and you want to dominate us. You only want to talk about issues concern you like terrorism, Mumbai and Pathankot. So I don’t feel, core issues are moving forward,” he said when asked to comment on foreign secretary-level talks that were postponed after Pathankot attack.
Speaking on Pakistani-American terrorist David Headley, who is currently deposing before a Mumbai court in connection with the 26/11 attack case, Musharraf said, “I don’t believe anything that Headley had said … Pakistan intelligence should interrogate Headley.”
When asked about JeM chief Masood Azhar, who was involved in two attacks against Musharraf himself, the former military general said, “Anyone who is doing any other act in Pakistan like, I know that he attacks me, is a terrorist certainly. Therefore I call him a terrorist.”
“LeT and Hafiz Saeed are not involved in terror activities in Pakistan,” he said.
He said India derailed peace process every time and wants to discuss only terrorism.
“You create hysteria in your country against Pakistan. Whenever we try to speak ….You want to bulldoze us to whatever is your point of view.
He also accused India’s intelligence agency RAW for carrying out attacks in Pakistan from Afghanistan.