International - India & World   

Jamaat leaders up-end vision of Manmohan

Nirupama Subramanian

ISLAMABAD: At a rally to mark Kashmir Solidarity Day on Monday, Jamaat-e-Islami leaders up-ended Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's vision of breakfast in Amritsar, lunch in Lahore and dinner in Kabul on the same day as a "dream for greater India" and said they would instead remind him of 10th century conqueror Mahmud Ghaznavi's journeys in the opposite direction.

Secretary-general of the Jamaat-e-Islami Syed Munawar Hussain said President Pervez Musharraf had given up Pakistan's position on Kashmir to the extent that the Indian Prime Minister was "dreaming of breakfast in Amritsar, lunch in Lahore and dinner in Kabul."

"We would like to remind him that Mahmud Ghaznavi ate breakfast in Kabul, lunch in Lahore and dinner in Somnath," Mr. Hussain said to applause from thousands attending the rally, held on Islamabad's arterial Jinnah avenue.

The JI functionary also made reference to another conqueror, Ahmed Shah Abdali, the Afghan king who fought and won the third battle of Panipat against the Marathas in the mid-18th century.

"Ahmed Shah Abdali had breakfast in Kabul, lunch in Peshawar and dinner in Panipat," Mr. Hussaid said.

Another speaker, JI leader of Pakistan occupied Kashmir Aijaz Afzal Khan said Mr. Singh's statements that he would like to make borders "irrelevant" only reflected his desire for "greater India."

He said President Pervez Musharraf was "speaking the language of India" by proposing "joint control and management" of both sides of divided Kashmir.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Speculation rife as Putin nears end of his second term
Talk to the Tigers, TNA tells Colombo
A woman's record in space
U.S. preparing for attack: N. Korea
No plans for Harry Potter e-book
U.K. police studying Russian request
Thailand police chief sacked
Attacking Iran will be disastrous, U.S. warned
China-Namibia ties strong: Hu
Light at end of tunnel: Musharraf
Jamaat leaders up-end vision of Manmohan
Ahamed calls on Dubai ruler

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu