India's top Muslim cleric expressed concern Tuesday over recent insurgency operations by Pakistan-based militant outfits operating in Indian Kashmir.
In a press statement, the imam of New Delhi's main Jama Masjid mosque, Maulana Syed Ahmed Bukhari, said such activities were "helping communal elements create an anti-Muslim atmosphere in India."
He specifically identified the Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed groups for fuelling "communal hatred" in the country.
Bukhari called on the militant groups to show "political statesmanship" in responding to the ongoing unilateral cease-fire by Indian security forces in Kashmir.
He also urged the Indian government to release all young, jailed Kashmiris and to grant an amnesty to those who had crossed into Pakistan to join the militant ranks.
Bukhari's comments came in the wake of a daring attack by Lashkar members on the historic Red Fort in the heart of the Indian capital on the night of December 22, in which three people were killed.
Lashkar has also threatened to launch a suicide attack against the office of Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee -- NEW DELHI (AFP)
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