Advertisement

Help
You are here: Rediff Home » India » News » PTI > Report
Search:  Rediff.com The Web
Advertisement
   Discuss   |      Email   |      Print | Get latest news on your desktop

Al Qaeda calls for jihad against Pakistan
Get news updates:What's this?
Advertisement
August 12, 2008 00:08 IST
The Al Qaeda [Images] has launched a blistering attack on Pakistan's beleaguered President Pervez Musharraf [Images] accusing him of betraying Muslims by supporting the US-led war in Afghanistan.

In a rare English language audio message believed to be from Ayman-Al-Zawahiri, which was aired on Sunday by a Pakistani TV network, Osama bin Laden's number two called for jihad against Pakistan, listing a litany of charges against Musharraf.

Al-Zawahiri said in the tape that Musharraf had betrayed Muslims by supporting the US after the September 11, 2001 attacks in its battle against the Taliban [Images] in Afghanistan.

Zawahiri urged Pakistanis to rise up against the United States or at least support the insurgents.

"Pervez has insulted and compromised Pakistan's sovereignty by allowing the Central Intelligence Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to operate freely in Pakistan and arrest, interrogate, torture, deport and detain any person, whether Pakistani or not, for as long as they like, thus turning the Pakistani army and security agencies into hunting dogs in the contemporary crusade," said the purported tape from al-Zawahiri.

The message, the authenticity of which has not been fully confirmed, came as Musharraf fights a critical battle for his political survival, threatened by an impeachment motion by his opponents in parliament.

The Pakistan television channel ARY said the tape was delivered to its office in Islamabad [Images] by an unidentified person. People familiar with Zawahiri's voice said the tape could be genuine.



© Copyright 2008 PTI. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of PTI content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent.
 Email  |    Print   |   Get latest news on your desktop

© 2008 Rediff.com India Limited. All Rights Reserved. Disclaimer | Feedback