At first sight – Prof Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, the founder of the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and currently the ameer of the Jamaatul Daawa (JuD) is an academician - jovial man who wears an easy smile on his face and, invariably, a Turkish cap on his head. A shalwar kameez-clad man, thoroughly Eastern in dress and habit, he is friendly and humble towards those who listen carefully to him. He is probably a person whose only introduction to the world of cosmetics has been the henna that is regularly applied to his long beard - a regular feature on a regular face in this part of the world. At first sight - it is a face that hardly begs for the camera. Look closer - it is a face that shies away from cameras as a rule. It has good reason to: Islam, the much un-photographed man says, forbids the capture of human images. Human lives, however, are another matter.

His favourite verse is: Wajahidu Fee Sabilallah: Wage a holy war in the name of God Almighty. His worldview is straight and simple: ’God has ordained every Muslim to fight until His rule is established,’ he says. ’We have no option but to follow God’s order.’ The Professor is following God’s order. And the instrument of God’s order is jehad. The Lashkar and its political wing, the Markaz, have for many years been calling for the expansion of jehad to the rest of India to create two independent homelands for the Muslims of South and North India. At the first step, they had called for intensified jehadi activities in Hyderabad and Junagadh. The only voice the Professor listens to is that of God. ’Jehad has actually been commanded by Allah Almighty,’ he says authoritatively, ’and no one can stop it.’ The jehad rests in the Professor’s hands. And don’t forget - he is a very pious man.

The following are the excerpts of an interview conducted with Prof Hafiz Mohammad Saeed in Lahore:

Q- What do you have to say about the Indian allegations of a Pakistani hand in the Mumbai attacks?

A- Like any other patriotic Pakistani, I strongly refute these allegations. There is a general impression that the Indian leadership is using Pakistan as a punching bag to cover its failures at home. Instead of blaming Pakistan, India should have acted as a responsible country, shown patience and focused on investigation of the attacks to find out the real culprits. It is not for the first time that they have blamed Pakistan for their own failures, although none of them have proven true so far. Let me remind you that the Indian leadership was quick to blame Pakistan for masterminding the 2007 Samjhota Express and Malegaon 2008 tragedies. Yet the fact remains that their own security and intelligence agencies have finally arrested an Indian army officer Colonel Purohit as the actual mastermind.

Q- But the Indian authorities insist that the lone Mumbai attacker they have arrested alive has already confessed being a Lashkar-e-Toiba militant coming from Pakistan?

A- Every time there is a major terrorist activity on the Indian soil, the Indian government officials will come out with such cooked up confessional statements. The fact remains that the Indian authorities are not at all interested in holding proper investigations into the Mumbai episode. They are only interested in blaming Pakistan which is evident from the fact that they had started naming Pakistan while the operation was still on.

Q- You mean to say Lashka-e-Toiba is not involved in the Mumbai attacks as being alleged by the Indians?

A- Technically speaking I am not authorized to speak on behalf of Lashkar-e-Toiba. I am the ameer of the Jamaatul Daawa and have nothing to do with the Lashkar. But I can say with authority that the Lashkar does not believe in killing civilians. As far as I know, a Lashkar spokesman in Srinagar has rejected Indian allegations of its involvement in the Mumbai attacks, saying they were actually meant to malign the group and to damage the ongoing freedom struggle in the Kashmir Valley.

Q- But the Indian authorities still think you are the moving spirit behind the Lashkar and probably that’s why they have again demanded your extradition.

A- I had stepped down as the Lashkar ameer way back in December 2001 and it is now being led by Maulana Abdul Wahid Kashmiri who is based in Srinagar.

Q- The Indian authorities allege that you are still being backed by the ISI and your group is linked to al-Qaeda?

A- They can say anything. I am not bothered about what they say. I will keep spreading the message of Allah Almighty despite all pressures, knowing fully well that the Indians will continue to mislead the world community by linking us with Lashkar-e-Toiba, with the ISI and even with al Qaeda.

Q- Any comments about the Indian demand for your extradition on terrorism charges?

A- I can’t stop them from making any such demand which is actually a crude attempt to divert the attention of the Indian people from their massive security and intelligence failure that led to the Mumbai attacks. The Jamaatul Daawa is all about relief and social work and everyone in Pakistan knows about our activities. Even otherwise, let me make it clear that I have never been convicted either in Pakistan or in India on any charge. On the other hand, a criminal case is still pending in Hyderabad against the BJP leader L.K. Advani for masterminding the murder of Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, although Pakistan has never demanded his extradition.

Q- You must have read about the possibility of an Indian Air Force attack on the Muridke headquarters of the Jamaatul Daawa which they can declare an enemy hide-out. What do you have to say?

A- It will be very unfortunate if India resorts to any such attack because the Muridke Markaz is only used for the purpose of educational activities. I strongly refute the Indian allegations that the Markaz contains any jehad-related training facility. The Indian allegations are only aimed at hoodwinking the international community and it should realize the same.

Q-What will be your response in case the Indians eventually decided to target the Markaz?

A- It is up to the Pakistani government and the Pakistan Army to decide as what to do and how to react to any such misadventure by the Indians. The Army is responsible to safeguard Pakistani geographical frontiers against any external aggression. And like any other patriotic Pakistani, we will also stand behind the armed forces if the Indians resorted to any aggression against the sovereignty of Pakistan.

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