Islamic Scholars in Pakistan Call for Holy War in Kashmir

Thousands of Pakistani Islamic scholars decreed Thursday that it is a must for all Muslims to join a jihad, or holy war, against Indian rule in the disputed Kashmir region, organizers of a scholars convention said.

“Jihad in Kashmir is the religious obligation of all Muslims,” the Lashkar-e-Taiba militant group said in a statement quoting a declaration issued by the convention.

The call--the first of its kind under the auspices of the group, which is fighting Indian rule in Kashmir--came as Pakistan dismissed remarks Wednesday by Indian Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh that New Delhi would consider holding “talks about talks” with Islamabad.

Lashkar-e-Taiba said more than 5,000 religious scholars attended the gathering at Muridke, in the central Punjab province.

The group said the convention was called to make it clear that jihad is a duty for all Muslims rather than any particular party and to assure support for militants fighting Indian forces.

India controls about 45% of Kashmir and Pakistan just more than a third of the region, which has been the focus of two of the countries’ three wars since their independence from Britain in 1947. China holds the rest of the territory.

Police and hospitals in the Indian-ruled part of Kashmir say more than 25,000 people have been killed in a decade-old separatist revolt there.