As part of the all-party delegation headed by BJP MP Baijayant Panda, MP Asaduddin Owaisi of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) called Pakistan a “failed state” while speaking with influential people in Bahrain. During the interaction, Mr Owaisi said, “Our government has sent us over here…so that the world knows the threat India has been facing since last so many years. Unfortunately, we have lost so many innocent lives. This problem emanates from Pakistan only. Unless and until Pakistan stops promoting, aiding and sponsoring these terrorist groups, this problem won’t go away.”
He further added, “Our government has taken all the steps to protect the lives of every Indian. This government has made very clear next time you (Pakistan) take up this misadventure, it will be beyond what they are expecting.”
Mr. Owaisi pointed out that in spite of serious provocations, India has consistently shown the utmost forbearance. He underlined the human cost of terrorism by bringing up the Pahalgam incident, which claimed the lives of 26 visitors. “Please reflect on the human tragedy of this massacre. A woman married six days ago became a widow on the seventh day. Another woman, married just two months ago, also lost her husband in this attack,” he said. Asserting India’s defensive strength, Mr Owaisi added, “India has all the wherewithal, and we have every means necessary to ensure the safety of not only Indian citizens, but also every individual residing in India.”
The leader of AIMIM said that threats coming from the other side of the border had been successfully detected by India’s air defence systems. “The government and the media, our air defence system, our technology and warfare capabilities, successfully intercepted and neutralised everything that was launched by a failed state like Pakistan,” he said.
Declaring that such monies have been used to finance terrorist operations, Mr. Owaisi emphasised the need of international cooperation in halting the financing of terrorism and encouraged the Bahraini government to back efforts to return Pakistan to the FATF grey list. “There is unanimity in our country, irrespective of whatever political affiliations we belong to. We have our political differences, but when it comes to the integrity of our country, it is high time our neighbouring country understands…I request and hope that the Bahrain government will help us in bringing Pakistan back to the grey list of FATF because this money has been used to support those terrorists,” Mr Owaisi said.
Mr. Owaisi, Nishikant Dubey MP, BJP; Phangnon Konyak MP, BJP; Rekha Sharma MP, NJP; Satnam Singh Sandhu MP; Ghulam Nabi Azad; and Ambassador Harsh Shringla are among the members of the delegation, which is headed by BJP MP Baijayant Panda.
While meeting with authorities in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Algeria, the group hopes to update its international allies on India’s response to the Pahalgam terror assault on April 22 and its larger war against cross-border terrorism. The purpose of the seven-group, one-MP-led multi-party delegation is to combat international disinformation and draw attention to India’s zero-tolerance stance against terrorism.
