Islamabad: Undetterred with the US' decision to designate Hizbul Mujahideen leader Syed Salahuddin as a 'global terrorist', Pakistan has termed him as a freedom fighter for the struggle of the independence of Kashmir.


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Pakistan's foreign office termed US' decision to label Syed Salahuddin as Specially Designated Global Terrorist as “completely unjustified”.


The US decision came just days before Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the White House for his first talks with US President Donald Trump.


The Pakistan Foreign Ministry said the "indigenous struggle of Kashmiris" in Jammu and Kashmir "remains legitimate. The designation of individuals supporting the Kashmiri right to self-determination as terrorists is completely unjustified".


As a senior leader of Hizbul Mujahideen (HM), the US State Department said in September, 2016, Salahuddin, also known as Syed Mohammed Yusuf Shah, vowed to block any peaceful resolution to the Kashmir conflict, threatened to train more Kashmiri suicide bombers, and vowed to turn the Kashmir valley "into a graveyard for Indian forces".


"Under Salahuddin's tenure as senior Hizbul leader, the HM has claimed responsibility for several attacks, including the April 2014 explosives attack in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, which injured 17 people," the State Department said.


Syed Salahuddin, who hails from Jammu and Kashmir but has lived in Pakistan for years, is known to maintain close ties with the Pakistani military-intelligence set-up.