Amir Mir Interviews LeT Chief Hafiz Saeed

Prof Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, the founder of the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and currently the ameer of the Jamaatul Daawa (JuD) wears an easy smile on his face and a Turkish cap on his head. Clad in shalwar kameez, he comes across as a friendly and humble man. His only introduction to the world of cosmetics is the henna that is regularly applied to his long beard -- a regular feature on a regular face in this part of the world. Except that this one shies away from camera as a rule. Because Islam 'forbids the capturing of human images.'

His worldview is straight and simple: "God has ordained every Muslim to fight until His rule is established," he says. "We have no option but to follow God's order." The Professor is following God's order. And the instrument of God's order is jihad. "Jihad has actually been commanded by Allah Almighty," he says authoritatively, "and no one can stop it." The jihad rests in the Professor's hands who happens to be a very pious man.

Prof Hafiz Mohammad Saeed's name is believed to be in the list of 20 wanted people handed over to Pakistan by India. Excerpts of an interview conducted with him in Lahore follow:

TNS: What do you have to say about the Indian allegations of a Pakistani hand in the Mumbai attacks?

Hafiz Mohammad Saeed: Like any other patriotic Pakistani, I strongly refute these allegations. There is a general impression that the Indian leadership is using Pakistan as a punching bag to cover its failures at home. Instead of blaming Pakistan, India should have acted as a responsible country, shown patience and focused on investigation of the attacks to find out the real culprits. It is not the first time that they have blamed Pakistan for their own failures, although none of them have proven true so far. Let me remind you that the Indian leadership was quick to blame Pakistan for masterminding the 2007 Samjhota Express and Malegaon 2008 tragedies. Yet the fact remains that their own security and intelligence agencies have finally arrested an Indian army officer Colonel Purohit as the actual mastermind.....