Srinagar, Dec 30:  Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) chief Mehmood Shah has strongly condemned the waving of ISIS flag in historic Jamia Masjid Srinagar and desecrating the pulpit of the grand mosque.
A video showing some masked youth appearing in Jamia Masjid Srinagar, believed to be after Friday prayers, and waving ISIS flags and chanting ‘Dawlat-e-Islam’ slogans. One of youth (wearing skinny jeans and shoes) is seen standing on the mosque pulpit while others are seen waving flags and chanting slogans.
The incident evoked strong condemnation from the joint resistance leadership (JRL), Anjuman Auqaf Jamia Masjid and other organizations. The netizens also denounced the sacrilegious act.
A spokesperson of LeT Dr Abdullah Ghaznavi in a statement issued to GNS quoted Shah as saying that “youth must recognize the fact that the terrorist organization ISIS is brought up by India-Israel-US nexus.”
“The only vicious motive of this organization is to malign the Jihad and image of Mujahideen. Those who are promoting ISIS intentionally must come into their senses and reform themselves. ISIS is the end of Islamic State, not the other way around,” LeT chief said.
Mehmood Shah further said that New Delhi is exploiting the “immature” youth for its “vicious motives”.
“But they (New Delhi) will never succeed. The condemnation statement by Joint Resistance Leadership is based on facts. We are the heirs of Kashmir’s indigenous freedom struggle and will never allow anyone to malign it,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Lashkar chief has paid tribute to “commander Ashfaq Wani and four freedom fighters” of Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) who were killed in a gunfight with forces on Saturday.
“India is at the brink of defeat. The countdown has begun. The Modi government, in its five-year tenure, tried all what it could to suppress the freedom movement of Jammu Kashmir, but all went in vain. The brave Kashmiris have proven that they can never be stopped. Today, their top rank generals are criticizing Modi that he has created serious trouble for India through his Kashmir policy,” Shah said in the statement.
He added, “India was doing all this barbarism on the instructions of the US which is leaving the region (Afghanistan) now and wants a safe exit from the people whom it called terrorists in 2001. The humiliating defeat of America will be written in the history.”
Mehmood Shah also thanked people for their “sacrifices and bravery”.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Kashmir Monitor staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)