The Aryavarth Express

HYDERABAD: AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi said on Saturday that Pakistan, with its long history of sponsoring terrorism, has become a threat to humanity, affirming that this will be the heart of his message to the international community as a member of all-party delegations the government is sending to world capitals.

In an interview with PTI Videos, the Hyderabad MP said the world will have to be told about the slaughtering of innocent citizens by Pakistan-sponsored terrorists for a long spell of time.

“India has been a big victim of Pakistan-sponsored terrorism. We all have seen the tamasha, slaughtering of people since the time of Zia-ul-Haq,” he said in his most explicit and fiery condemnation of Pakistan.

He added, “You can never trust Pakistan as long as the Pakistani deep state, Pakistani ISI, and Pakistani military’s objective are to destabilise Bharat.”

Owaisi, however, added that he is yet to be briefed by the government about the details of the diplomatic drive following the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor.

One of the sharpest opposition voices against the BJP, the fifth-term Lok Sabha member has emerged as among the most vocal supporters of the government’s tough stand against Pakistan, drawing praise even from a section of people generally hostile to his politics.

“Politically, we (his party) will continue to fight the BJP’s ideology. But when you come to the country and kill the citizens of the country, the citizens of India, then where does any question arise in this? Of my political ideological differences,” he said, emphasising that his excoriation of Pakistan reflects the wider sentiments among Muslims.

Asked if the anger he is expressing is a reflection of the entire Muslim community, he said, “Absolutely! Why won’t they be? I am talking on behalf of my party, and our party is made up of Indian Muslims. How are we different?”

He added, “We are against the BJP’s ideology, but when you come to my country and kill my countrymen, then where is the question of my religion coming in the way of my feelings.”

Elaborating, he said every one of the Indian citizens is sailing in the same boat.

“If anyone is creating a hole in the boat, we all sink together. No one will save us. It is obvious that we have to be together to fight every storm. We can sort out our issues internally.”

Asserting that destabilising India, fomenting communal divide and stalling the country’s economic rise is part of Pakistan’s unwritten ideology, Owaisi said this has always been the objective of the Pakistani deep state and its military.

He said, “They have a stated ideology which is unwritten about the various ways in which they can destabilise India. How can they spread hatred in India? How can India’s progress be stopped? They are working on it till today and will continue to do so tomorrow. These people are not going to stop.”

The firebrand parliamentarian said it is necessary to call out Pakistan for projecting itself as the protector of Islam and Muslims in its confrontation with India. “This is nonsense. Nearly 20 crore Muslims live in India. This too must be conveyed.”

India should have understood Pakistan’s design long back when it had sent tribal invaders into Jammu and Kashmir after its independence in 1947, he said.

Pakistan has become a threat to humanity by arming, training and financing terrorists, he said.

However, India’s patience ran out with the Pahalgam terror attack, he said.

The anguish that others are feeling, he is also feeling, Owaisi said, describing the killings of Pahalgam as “military-style execution” in the most barbaric fashion, with men being shot at point-blank range so much so that their faces were disfigured.

“Imagine the trauma that the relatives and wives faced. They will carry it with them for the rest of their lives,” he said.

“There is no doubt that this was sponsored by Pakistan. How can there be any second opinion about this? Tell me. How can there be any second opinion? All the technical data with NIA shows that the terrorists came from Pakistan, so it is obvious that they were taking instructions from the Pakistani establishment,” he said.

Owaisi cited the spontaneous and organic protests that erupted in Kashmir after the Pahalgam attacks to say that it showed there was no support left for Pakistan-sponsored terrorism in the region.

“In fact, it is a historic opportunity for the government, for Prime Minister Modi, for Home Minister Amit Shah. They should use this opportunity properly. You should definitely confront Pakistan, but you should also adopt Kashmiris,” he said.

As seven all-party delegations leave next week to different parts of the world, Owaisi said outside countries must be told about Pakistan’s role in a number of terror incidents, be it the Indian Airlines plane hijack to Kandahar and how India had to release Pakistani terrorists, the 26/11 Mumbai attack, the Parliament attack and horrific incidents in Pathankot cantonment, Uri, and now Pahalgam.