Syed Salahuddin, the Pakistan-based Chairman of Muttahida Jihad Council (MJC), recently called for incorporating Pakistani-controlled regions to be part of a unified Jammu & Kashmir state on the pre-1947 borders. Before independence in 1947, Salahuddin notes, Gilgit Baltistan and Balakot district, both in Pakistani control now, were parts of Jammu & Kashmir. The Muttahida Jihad Council is a network of jihadist groups in Pakistan headed by Syed Salahuddin who has fought a long battle against India in Kashmir valley.
The Jammu & Kashmir state has been divided between Pakistan and India by a Line of Control (LoC) over the past six decades. Salahuddin's demand may be arising from media reports that the Pakistani government is planning to hand over Gilgit Baltistan, which was part of Jammu & Kashmir before 1947, to China on a long-term lease. Asked if Pakistan will leave Gilgit Baltistan and Balakot, Salahuddin said: "It will have to honor the decision of Kashmiris [presumably in a plebiscite]."
His interview comes amid profound changes taking place in the Kashmir region. The militancy against India in Jammu & Kashmir has declined significantly. However, Indian intelligence agencies warn that the failure of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Hizbul Mujahideen, which is headed by Syed Salahuddin, to mount major attacks in the summer of 2011 in Kashmir valley, has led them to join hands this year. Indian intelligence recently warned: "Thus, the militant outfits have already started preparing a blueprint to hit back with a vengeance this time around [in the summer of 2012]…"
