MUZAFFARABAD: Syed Salahuddin, chief of Kashmir’s largest militant group Hizbul Mujahideen, has called upon Kashmiri fighters to suspend their activities in India-held Kashmir and use all their resources and energies in helping the people affected by the floods.

“At the moment, this is the greatest jihad,” he said at a meeting of the United Jihad Council (UJC), an alliance of more than 10 militant groups struggling to overthrow India’s occupation of the disputed region.

Mr Salahuddin said that floods had submerged towns and villages, destroyed infrastructure, bridges, offices, power supply and communication system and rendered millions of people homeless in the India-held region.

“The Indian government is paying no heed to the situation in the held territory, while India’s biased, rather fanatical electronic, print and social media are hurting the Kashmiris,” he said.

He warned that if the international community and the Ummah did not take any step to provide relief to the marooned people, hundreds of thousands of them may die.

Mr Salahuddin said India had stored water and then released it towards Pakistan, causing devastating floods in Punjab.

“In fact India has adopted the strategy of using a water bomb against Pakistan and the [Pakistani] government’s silence over the Indian move is tantamount to criminal negligence,” he alleged.

Mr Salahuddin appealed to the political and religious parties of Pakistan to shun their differences and unite to help the flood survivors.

“This is not an appropriate time for staging sit-ins or Inqilab marches. Instead the Pakistani leaders should focus their attention and energy on providing relief goods to their stranded brethren,” he said.

Published in Dawn, September 15th, 2014