New pact between India, US against Pakistan, CPEC and Muslims: Hafiz Saeed

Islamabad: Hafiz Saeed, a Pakistani Islamist with a USD 10 million U.S. bounty on his head, on Monday trade charges against India and United States of carrying an anti-Muslim approach and said that the new pact signed between the two nations is against Pakistan.

The Jamaat-Ud-Dawa (JuD) chief asserted, "The new pact between India and US is against Pakistan, against China-Pak Eco Corridor and in fact it is against the Muslim world."

"The United States has issues with China, India has issues with Pakistan. The interest of both has become one due to CPEC," the JuD chief said. 

"The new pact between India and America is against Pakistan, against CPEC; in fact, I believe it is against the Muslim world and its bulwark Pakistan. This is a very frightening pact. What America could not achieve while being in Afghanistan, where it faced a dishonourable defeat, it is now trying to complete its mission from India. It (U.S.) believes that since Afghanistan was a country of Muslims, they could not achieve their targets while being inside the country, all they could do was spreading terrorism and unrest across Pakistan," said Saeed. 

"America's issue is China; India's issue is Pakistan. The interest of both has become one, because of CPEC. This is the basis of their new pact. This is the preparation of a terrifying war," he added. 

Addressing a seminar on the 51st Defence Day of Pakistan, Saeed said, "India and America are worried that if the CPEC project succeeded, the entire Muslim world would stand beside Pakistan. And the (resultant) new defence and economic pacts that will take place will oust America not only from this region and the Middle East, but from all important places and waters of the would. America will have to get out of all these places. That is why today the biggest hurdle before them is Pakistan."

During the bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of G20 Summit in Hangzhou, Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised India's concern over the CPEC, saying the two countries need to be sensitive to each other's strategic interests. 

Last week, India and the US signed the bilateral Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) that will give the militaries of both countries access to each other’s facilities for supplies and repairs. 

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and U.S. Defence Secretary Ash Carter said in a joint statement that LEMOA will facilitate additional opportunities for practical engagement and exchange.

LEMOA facilitates the provision of logistical support, supplies and services between the US and Indian militaries on a reimbursable basis, and provided a framework to govern them.

Earlier, Hafiz Saeed had called on Pakistan to send troops to Kashmir to teach India a lesson, as the death toll in the violence in Jammu and Kashmir climbed on Tuesday.

Pakistan’s media reported Saeed's latest statement, which he addressed to Pakistan military chief General Raheel Sharif.

Saeed, who has been accused of having engineered the 2008 November terrorist attack in Mumbai, had warned India in July that he would avenge killings in the ongoing protest.