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Some leaders of the banned Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), the Pakistan-based terror outfit led by Hafiz Saeed, have claimed that they were involved in last year's mass uprising in Bangladesh that led to the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
JuD leaders - Saifullah Kasuri and Muzammil Hashmi, a UN-designated terrorist - made these claims during their speeches earlier this week.
"I was four-years-old when Pakistan was dismembered in 1971. The then-Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had declared that she'd drowned the two-nation theory in Khaleej (Bay of Bengal). On May 10, we have taken the revenge of 1971," Kasuri claimed while addressing his supporters in Rahim Yar Khan, some 400 kms from Lahore.
Kasuri was referring to the Liberation War in 1971 in Bangladesh (then East Pakistan) when Pakistan (then West Pakistan) conceded defeat and unconditionally surrendered in Dhaka to the allied forces comprising the freedom fighters and the Indian soldiers. His remarks were also aimed at the four-day military conflict between India and Pakistan, which was followed by an understanding ceasing all hostilities on May 10.
Kasuri also admitted that the body of Mudassar, a Lashkar-e-Taiba commander, was cut into pieces during the airstrike by India on Muridke (JuD/LeT headquarters) on May 7 under Operation Sindoor in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 people.
"I was not allowed to attend his funeral. On the day of his funeral, I cried a lot," he said, but did not reveal who stopped him from attending Mudassar's funeral.
On the other hand, the top military, police and civilian bureaucracy of Pakistan's Punjab were among those who attended Mudassar and two other JuD members' funerals in full view of cameras.
"I was in my constituency meeting with the people when the Pahalgam incident took place. India made me the mastermind of this attack. India made my city, Kasur, popular in the world," Kasuri said.
Showing no remorse, the terrorist said, "We are preparing the next generation for jihad. We are not afraid of dying," he said.
Meanwhile, Muzammil Hasmi, in his speech in Gujranwala, some 80 kms from Lahore, told the Indian leadership, "We defeated you in Bangladesh last year."
His remarks, made a few days ago, were in reference to Hasina's ouster and her self-exile in India after massive anti-government protests led by students. Days later, Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus took over as the chief advisor of the interim government.
(with inputs from PTI)
Published By:
Prateek Chakraborty
Published On:
Jun 1, 2025
