Terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba is the illegitimate child of the Pakistan government and its intelligence agency ISI, AIMIM chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi has said in a scathing attack on the neighbouring country in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack.
He said the Centre must ensure that Pakistan is put on the grey list of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). FATF leads global action against money laundering and terror funding. FATF's black and grey lists identify countries with weak measures to combat money laundering and terror financing.
In a no-holds-barred attack on Pakistan, Mr Owaisi said voices in Islamabad keep making nuclear threats against India. "Remember, if you enter a country and kill innocents, no country will stay silent, no matter who is in power. The way you attacked our country, the way people were asked their religion and shot, what religion are you talking about? You are worse than Khawarij (an Islamic sect considered deviant). You are ISIS sympathisers," he said at a meeting in Maharashtra's Parbhani to oppose the Waqf Amendment Act.
Targeting Pakistan, he said, "You are not just half an hour behind, you are half a century behind India. Your country's budget is not even equal to our military budget."
Warning against divisive narratives and remarks, Mr Owaisi said Kashmiris -- like Kashmir -- are an integral part of India. "How can we suspect them? Who died fighting terrorists? Who carried the injured on his shoulders? There is an attempt to create hate for Kashmiris. We must remain united. Pakistan, ISI and Lashkar-e-Taiba want conflicts between Hindus and Muslims," he said, appealing to the media to keep this in mind.
Congress leader Supriya Shrinate, too, hit out at Pakistan over its leaders' nuclear threats. "Pakistan is threatening with atomic bombs? You are struggling for flour and pulses and you are talking about bombs. You remember 1971? If not, then ask your elders. Sit down and stay quiet. Jokers' Jamaat," she said on X.
Earlier, Pakistan minister Hanif Abbasi had threatened a nuclear war as relations between the two neighbours nosedived in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack, believed to have been backed by Pakistan. "Our Ghori, Shaheen, Ghaznavi missiles & 130 nuclear bombs are not for display. They are for INDIA. Stop water and be ready for war. Our weapons are facing you," the minister said, responding to India's decision to pause the Indus Water Treaty.
Twenty-five tourists and a Kashmiri pony ride operator were shot dead in Pahalgam's Baisaran meadows on April 22 in the most cold-blooded terror attack the Valley has seen.
Amid nationwide outrage against the killings, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has vowed that those involved and behind them would get a punishment they cannot even imagine. He has said India will identify, track and punish every terrorist and their backers and our spirit will never be broken. "From Kargil to Kanyakumari, there is grief and rage. This attack was not just on innocent tourists; the country's enemies have shown the audacity to attack India's soul," the Prime Minister has said. "The time has come to raze whatever is left of the terror haven. The will of 140 crores will break the back of the masters of terror," he added.
The government has held an all-party meeting and briefed the Opposition about the situation. Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, has said that the Centre's has the full support of the Opposition for any action it takes in this connection.
