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Maulana Azhar denies issuing any threat to Americans

ISLAMABAD: Maulana Masood Azhar, one of the three freed freedom fighters released by India, has denied issuing any threat to Americans.

"Since my arrival here I have made no such statement", Maulana Azhar told BBC, which contacted him in Bahawalpur.

"I don't know how this statement reached the US State Department and how it expressed its reaction to this", he said while adding, "I haven't made such call since my arrival here".

When asked about the Indian claim that it has arrested four persons who are associated with the hijacking of the Indian plane and that India is also making mention of a name Ibrahim Azhar among these four persons, Maulana Azhar said: "Ibrahim is at present in Saudi Arabia. He has gone there to perform Umra".

He further said, "I have been in India for six years, I have had the experience. Whenever some incident takes place, India claims to have arrested several persons after the incident".

"If actually it had to arrest, the useful thing was to arrest them when the incident was taking place", he added.

Continuing, he said, "Indian troops burnt the Charar Sharif and later they claimed that they have arrested such and such persons. On several other occasions in the past too, India did so".

In fact, he said, the BJP government is doing so to avert the pressure of the opposition.

"All this issuance of photos etc., is a drama", Maulana Azhar said and added, "This was done in the wake of my statement that all the five hijackers were Indian citizens and that they belonged to occupied Kashmir".

"Immediately after this Advani Sahib staged a drama and tried to mislead the press", Maulana Azhar added.ÑAPP