NEW DELHI: The Centre on Monday condemned
Hizbul Mujahideen
chief
Syed Salahuddin's recent utterances against India, and said his designation as a
global terrorist
by the United States was "well deserved".
Home ministry spokesperson
Ashok Prasad
said the government had been describing Salahuddin as a terrorist all along, and his own remarks had confirmed that.
"His designation as a global terrorist by the US is well deserved," he told reporters here.
Prasad said Salahuddin was also "instrumental" in providing funds to terrorists and separatists and giving other kinds of assistance to the terrorists.
Salahuddin had on July 1 claimed that his group had the capability to launch attacks inside India.
The US declared him a "Specially Designated Global Terrorist" on June 27.
"We are not terrorists... Our struggle is for freedom from India and it will continue till the liberation of Kashmir," the 71-year-old separatist, who is based in
Muzaffarabad
, the capital of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, had said.
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