Karachi, May 5

Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed has directed its cadres to step up and intensify its ‘Jihad’ in Jammu and Kashmir.Addressing a gathering at its Markaz known as Beteha Masjid in Karachi, JeM commander Mufti Abdul Rauf Asghar claimed responsibility for the April 26 grenade attack in the Tral township of Pulwama district in Jammu and Kashmir.Rauf said in his speech, “During the ongoing ‘Daura Tafseer’, news of JeM cadres fighting at battlefronts (in J&K) was pouring in. On April 25 JeM cadres were engaged in fighting against the enemy and were killed the day after (April 26). Their funeral processions were being carried out and, meanwhile, another team of JeM launched attack to take revenge of killings of cadres on the previous day.”Such statements by JeM from Pakistan have exposed Islamabad’s malicious designs in Jammu and Kashmir.Rauf motivated cadres and told them not to forget the real motive for and behind ‘Jihad’. He said, “At the battlefront, there is no dearth of ‘Mujahideen’, who have been waiting in queues to enter into J&K to kill the enemy.The Jaish-e-Mohammed has been banned in Pakistan since 2002, but it continues to train terrorists in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and provides them weapons to create troubles in Jammu and Kashmir.Having maintained close relations with the Taliban and al Qaeda, it has carried out several attacks primarily in Jammu and Kashmir.Rauf has asked its cadres to be mentally and physically ready to join cadres at battlefield. “The war of ‘jihad’ is entering into an extremely dangerous phase, where enemies would be trying to eliminate Mujahideen from well inside their own locations. Time is likely to come when Mujahideen and others will have to take shelter in forests and plan strategy of survival.”From January to April this year, 55 terrorists have been killed by the security forces in the Kashmir Valley. A majority of these terrorists were from Pakistan who crossed the border to create disturbances in Jammu and Kashmir.On several occasions, India has accused Pakistan of sheltering terrorists and providing them open space to wage ‘jihad’ in the Kashmir Valley. ANI