Islamabad, May 20: Continuing with the volley of flip-flop statements in the run up to talks with India, Pakistan`s interior minister Faisal Saleh Hayat today denied earlier statements on banning Hizbul Mujahideen but said restrictions had been imposed on its activities. Hayat, who was earlier quoted in the media here as saying the group was banned, "clarified" during the course of the day that it was included in the list of seven militant outfits that have been proscribed in the aftermath of September 2001 attacks on US. "We cannot ban Hizbul Mujahideen. The ban cannot be applicable because it is not a Pakistan-based organisation," Hayat told a private TV channel after chairing a high level official meeting to review law and order in the country. He said: "They (Hizb) are not allowed to regroup as a militant force obviously. Use of militancy is totally out of question, we will not allow them to use our soil to propagate any damaging propaganda or physical activity which could endanger the life or pose a security threat to Pakistan or any of its neighbours. "They would not be allowed to open offices, organise rallies and carry weapons," Hayat said adding, however, that the ban on Lashkar-e-Toyaba and Jaish-e-Muhammad would continue and its leaders would not be allowed to go to Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir. The interior minister said Pakistan had already taken several confidence-building measures to promote better understanding with the Indian government in order to achieve peace through negotiations. "Certainly, we hope that the Indian government will come to the negotiating table and it is very gratifying that it has dawned upon the Indian leadership that all outstanding issues need to be resolved through dialogue and a belligerent attitude does not lead to anywhere," Hayat said. Meanwhile, Hizb leaders claimed that they had not received any orders curbing their activities. Hayat also made clear that the activities of Lashker-e-Taiba had been clamped down. "As far as crossing the borders is concerned, it is as much as the responsibility of the Indian government as that of the Pakistani government," he said. The minister said that there was a large presence of Indian Army in the area. "If they cannot control, how can you expect the Pakistan government to control them," he said. All the banned organisations and their leaders would not be permitted to operate from PoK or from outside, Hayat said.

Earlier local daily `Dawn` quoted Hayat as saying that the activities of Hizbul Mujahideen had been banned but there were no restrictions on the movements of its leaders and activists outside PoK.

The government said it had already banned the entry of leaders of Lashkar-e-Toyaba and Jaish-e-Muhammad into PoK. While no restrictions have been imposed on the movement of Hizbul Mujahideen`s leaders and its activists they could not conduct their organizational activities in the country.

At the same time Hayat said PoK government has already imposed a ban on entry of Hizb`s leaders into the region, which effectively meant that Hizb militants would not cross into Jammu and Kashmir at will.

While Hizbul leaders claimed they have not received any orders banning them, Sardar Qayyum Khan, the leader of the ruling Muslim Conference, which governed PoK said here that no ban had been imposed on Hizbul.

Qayyum also denied that the PoK government has imposed any restrictions on the entry of Hizb leaders into the territory.

Bureau Report