Lashkar tells its own Gujarat story

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal">NEW DELHI: Sangh Parivar offshoots are not the only ones telling their version of the Gujarat story. The website of the militant outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba has posted graphic "eyewitness accounts" and photographs of the riots in the state earlier this year.<br />The website, maintained by the Lashkar in the name of its parent organisation, the Jamaat ud-Daawa (www.markazdawa.org), gives graphic details about "sexual abuse of Muslim women" in Gujarat accompanied by photographs of burning houses and vehicles.All this under a banner: "Real face of India".<br />An "alert" or introduction to the section claims to source the reports from Amnesty International. The author exhorts: "When you have finished, remember this. These acts are still being committed; we just never sit on our mainstream news. Please read the accounts and then follow the Quranic orders."<br />At the end of the long section, which runs into several pages, is reproduced a "letter" that the website claims has been signed "A true Hindu patriot", complete with a "Jai Sri Ram". It propogates an "economic boycott" of the minority community as the only solution to "Save the country! Save the religion!"<br />Among other measures suggested to do this are not buying anything from a Muslim shopkeeper, not selling anything to them, boycotting "wholeheartedly films in which Muslim hero-heroines act! Throw out films produced by these anti-nationals". <br />Also a resolve that "I shall certainly vote, but only for him who will protect the Hindu nation."<br />The Gujarat anecdotes are part of a larger section on "Kashmir & Indian Terrorism" on the site of the militant group, which is believed to have a hand behind most of the recent terrorist attacks including the December 13 attack on Parliament last year.<br />The site, through which the Lashkar solicits funds and which provides information on the group’s activities, is replete with strident anti-India articles with special emphasis on Kashmir. Gujarat is a new addition. There is also a write up on the formation of the Jamaat ud Daawa and a "strategy foil nefarious designs of India", which discusses at length "jihadi activities in Kashmir".<br />Dated January 2002, the article says: "Keeping in view the changing scenario in the region the Markaz Al-Dawa Wal Irshad and Lashker-e-Taiba have formulated a new strategy to cope with the situation. Under this strategy a General Council of Lashkar-e-Taiba has been established which will work under the chairmanship of Maulana Abdul Wahid Kashmiri who belongs to Poonch.<br />"All of the members of the council have also been selected from Kashmir. The Lashker-e-Taiba will continue its Jihadi activities in the occupied Kashmir as usual rather it will further intensify them.<br />"On the other hand to continue the mission of Markaz al-Dawa Wal Irshad in the country, Jamaat al Da''wa has been establish (sic). All the organizational, political and reformatory work will be accomplished under the Jamaat. The primary objective of the new strategy is to counter the Indian propaganda and its attempt to find a pretext to attack Pakistan and restraining it from taking advantage of the prevailing situation in the world."<br />The Lashkar-e-Taiba is the armed wing of the Pakistan-based Markaz-ud-Dawa-wal-Irshad, a Sunni anti-US organisation formed in 1989. The USA had added the militant outfit to its Office of Foreign Asset Control’s (OFAC) list last year, compelling Pakistan to ban the Lashkar and freeze its assets in January this year.<br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">Related stories: </span><br /><img src="/images/ticker.gif"> <a href="/articleshow.cms?msid=30155746">BJP creating communal divide: Sonia</a><br /><img src="/images/ticker.gif"> <a href="/articleshow.cms?msid=30146312">Fear lurks beneath Godhra''s calm</a><br /><img src="/images/ticker.gif"> <a href="/articleshow.cms?msid=30149691">Atmosphere favourable for BJP in Gujarat: Advani</a><br /><img src="/images/ticker.gif"> <a href="/articleshow.cms?msid=30104859">Shades of saffron in Cong campaign</a><br /><img src="/images/ticker.gif"> <a href="/articleshow.cms?msid=30099813">Cosmo crowd in Sayajigunj may help Cong win</a><br /><img src="/images/ticker.gif"> <a href="cms.dll//html/uncomp/articlelist.cms?catkey=28378954&right=0&left=0&daysactive=330">Gujarat polls: Full coverage</a></img></img></img></img></img></img></div> </div>