MUZAFFARABAD, Sept 4: Hundreds of Kashmiri fighters and refugees rallied here on Thursday, vowing to continue their struggle until the liberation of disputed Himalayan region under the Indian control.

“Our path, our aim is Jihad (holy war),” shouted the participants as the rally paraded through the town’s main thoroughfare, amid sweltering heat, at the end of a big public meeting held on the lawn of a riverside hotel.

Waving green flags, the marchers were led by Syed Salahuddin, supreme commander of Kashmir’s largest militant outfit Hizbul Mujahideen, who was riding an open roof vehicle and guarded by his gun-wielding comrades.

Salahuddin, who also heads the United Jihad Council, an alliance of Kashmiri fighter groups, himself made victory signs and shouted pro-Jihad slogans responding to which the emotionally charged participants raised their hands aloft.

“Let it be clear to the whole world that unless every single inch of Kashmir is liberated from Indian yoke, our struggle will continue with full force,” he vowed earlier at what was named by the organisers as ‘Defence of Jammu Kashmir’ conference.

Salahuddin called upon Pakistani government to sever ties with India until the latter ended what he said atrocities in its occupied part of Kashmir.

He said until India ended the economic blockade of Kashmir valley, lifted the curfew, stopped atrocities and acknowledged the disputed status of the region, Pakistan should sever all kinds of relations with India.

Salahuddin also took serious exception to the ongoing dialogue between Pakistan and India, terming it a “meaningless exercise which provided India an opportunity to carry on bloodbath in Kashmir”.

“Pakistan should wind up the so-called and useless peace process and focus attention on resolution of the core issue. Until India gives up unrealistic approach and shows seriousness towards settlement of the lingering problem there is no point in wasting time and energies on this process.”

Supporting free exchange of goods across the Line of Control, he demanded opening of all natural routes connecting the divided parts of the Himalayan region.

“The economic slaughter of Kashmiris has necessitated the opening of all natural routes and transportation of goods on either side but there should not be any restriction like that of the bus service,” he stressed.

Salahuddin said they had irrefutable evidence that Indian troops, Indian intelligence agencies and the fanatics were hand in glove in unleashing a reign of terror in the Muslim minority areas of Jammu to split the Muslim majority state.

“These atrocities are designed to change the demography of Jammu and make it a separate Indian state but we will thwart their nefarious plans,” he said.

Salahuddin also called upon the governments in Islamabad and Muzaffarabad to allocate a sizeable portion of their budget for the freedom movement in Kashmir.

He warned India to remove the perception that it could perpetuate its illegal rule over Kashmir through despotic measures.

“How come a nation, unprepared to transfer even 800 kanals of its land, could accept the occupation of its entire state by India,” he questioned, referring to the recent land transfer to a Hindu shrine trust which triggered the latest uprising in Kashmir.

Leaders from several other militant and political groups, including Lashkar-i-Taiba (LT), also spoke at the public meeting.

“There are 4,500 martyrs from our organisation alone in Kashmir. How can we sell out the sacred blood of these martyrs? The holy war will continue till its logical end,” said the LT representative, Abu Saad Shabbir.

Prominent among others who spoke on the occasion included Ghulam Mohammad Safi, Shaikh Jamilur Rehman, Abdul Aziz Alvi, Farooq Qureshi and Shaukat Wani.