Asaduddin Owaisi, Lok Sabha MP and President of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), has demanded a “strong military offensive” against Pakistan but at the same time urged the Centre to relook at the deterrence policy and fix accountability for security lapses that lead to terrorist taking lives of 26 tourists and injuring 17 others in Pahalgam on Tuesday.
In an interview to businessline, Owaisi also said he suggested to government during the all-party meeting convened last evening on the Pahalgam terror strike that they should put a check on social media and news TV channels from creating divide between Muslims and Hindus — which would end up providing “smile” on faces of Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists and their handlers in Pakistan.
The AIMIM chief’s prescription at the all-party meeting virtually echoed a possible wish list of the Union government as far as defanging Pakistan of terror was concerned.
The five-time MP from Hyderabad Lok Sabha seat said he suggested to the top ministers of the government at the meeting to have a “re-look at the deterrence policy” because despite surgical strike to avenge Uri Army camp attack and Balasore airstrike post Pulwama killing of central armed police force personnel, these “terrorist elements in Pakistan keep doing these terrorist activities.”
“I had raised questions; number one was that until January, there were two CRPF units at that meadow (Pahalgam). Then I asked the government if it was true. The Home Minister and DG CRPF were there and they just told us that we didn’t have them there. We keep them, remove them, sort of answer was given. Then I said some sort of accountability must be fixed because we cannot just stop at merely saying that a security lapse took place,” he said.
He also referred to international conventions and Constitutional provisions that can be used as instruments for legitimising the government’s offensive against Pakistan.
For instance, he said, “..I talked about United Nations’ resolution 1373 of 2001. It requires the state to criminalise the financing, planning, support and propagation acts of terrorism. The State should refrain from providing any form of support, active or passive, to terrorism. Pakistan has been in violation of this UN Security Council resolution.”
Cyber attack option
Owaisi also gave the option of cyber attack against Pakistan assets.
“So therefore, India must take a strong military offensive to permanently limit the terror capabilities of Pakistan. And we must ensure that Pakistan also faces strong international sanctions. I had also stated that international laws allow naval and air services blockade,” Owaisi recommended at the all-party meeting.
On the government’s decision to halt the Indus water treaty with Pakistan, he expressed his doubts over its deterrence value. “How will we store river water in the absence of dams?,” he wondered.
Besides, he also stated that we cannot ignore that the World Bank is a party to the Indus river water distribution treaty between India and Pakistan.