Pakistani militant leader pledges support to Kashmir rebels

ISLAMABAD – The founder of the Pakistani militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba, Hafiz Saeed, has pledged support to armed rebels in Indian-ruled Kashmir.

Saeed, who is designated a terrorist by the U.S. government with a $10 million bounty on his head, addressed thousands of his supporters in Islamabad Wednesday.

His charity, Jamaat-ud-Dawa, has rallied in various Pakistani cities with a series of so called “black day” demonstrations against recent violence in the Indian-held portion of the divided territory of Kashmir.

Pakistan’s government also called for “black day” observances to express solidarity with Kashmiris.

The largest street protests in recent years erupted in the Indian-held Kashmir after Indian troops on July 8 killed Burhan Wani, the popular 22-year-old leader of Kashmir’s largest rebel group.