Peshawar: A sample of the anti-India statements released by militant groups operating in Pakistan's North-West Frontier Province show that they are out to prove their patriotism in the wake of the Mumbai attacks.

Almost every militant group has issued a patriotic statement and pledged to fight alongside the country's armed forces in case of an Indian act of aggression against Pakistan. Most groups said they weren't anti-Islamabad and were ready to die for their homeland.

Qari Hussain, a top South Waziristan-based commander of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) known for training suicide bombers, confirmed that the group would be ready to fight Indian invaders.

"We are fighting the Pakistani Army because it has launched operations in our tribal areas but we cannot allow India or any other power to invade our country. In fact, an Indian attack on Pakistan would help the cause of the Taliban as it could force the army to cease military action in Fata [Federally Administered Tribal Areas] and Swat. However, we have no intention of exploiting such a situation because our priority would be to fight India," Hussain said.

"We have been accused of accepting Rs680 million [Dh49.99 million] from the Indian intelligence agency, Raw, and assistance from the Afghan government's security services, but we intend to fight India's military and other enemies of Pakistan to prove that we were wrongly accused of being agents of India."

Maulana Faqir Mohammad, the deputy leader of the TTP who has been leading the battle against Pakistan's security forces in Bajaur, was probably the first militant commander to issue a statement.

Conspiracy

"India has hatched a conspiracy to blame Pakistan and the mujahideen for the Mumbai attacks. India's discriminatory attitude toward its Muslim population was the reason for these attacks. We are warning India not to invade Pakistan as any aggression would be resisted jointly by Pakistan's armed forces and the mujahideen," he stressed.

The rival group of Pakistani Taliban headed by the Wana-based Maulvi Nazeer in South Waziristan issued a statement through its spokesman Shaheen, alias Wali Mohammad

"We may have a dispute with the Pakistan Government but we would set aside our differences if our homeland was threatened by outside powers. We would raise a force of 15,000 tribal Taliban to fight on the side of Pakistan's armed forces. We would infiltrate 500 suicide bombers into India to cause havoc there. We urge Pakistan's political and religious forces to unite in the face of the Indian threat," he said.

The rival group of Pakistani Taliban headed by the Wana-based Maulvi Nazeer in South Waziristan issued a statement through its spokesman Shaheen, alias Wali Mohammad.