Asaduddin Owaisi calls Bilawal Bhutto's statement 'foolish'

Hyderabad, June 4 (IANS) AIMIM president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi has termed as ‘foolish’ Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairman and former Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s statement at United Nations headquarters during which he called for cooperation between Pakistan and India’s intelligence agencies.

Talking to media persons here on Wednesday, Owaisi reminded Bilawal Bhutto what happened after the agencies of the two countries held talks following the 26/11 and Pathankot attacks.

Bilawal Bhutto, who is leading a high-powered delegation to the US as part of a global diplomatic push to seek support following its recent conflict with India, told a press conference that cooperation between the intelligence agencies of the two neighbours could significantly reduce terrorism in South Asian.

“What happened after 26/11 and Pathankot. You rewarded and shielded all terrorists and gave (Zakiur Rehman) Lakhvi the opportunity to become the father of a son while sitting in jail,” Owaisi said.

The MP reminded Bilawal Bhutto that her mother, Benazir Bhutto, herself was a victim of terrorism.

“The same UN where he spoke sent a team comprising diplomats from various countries to Pakistan for a probe, and they said the investigation by Pakistan into her assassination was shoddy,” he said.

“Do some introspection. You don’t know the organisation which killed your mother, and you are pointing fingers at India. This is foolish,” he said.

On the ceasefire with Pakistan, the AIMIM chief, Pakistan's DGMO, spoke to our DGMO. “Our DGMO would have accepted it after talking to the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister and political leadership should have told the country that Pakistan's DGMO spoke, and we are stopping the firing. Instead of them, US President Donald Trump told the country. Who is he?”

Owaisi, who was part of the delegation led by BJP MP Baijayant Panda to visit four Gulf countries, said they tried to put forward India’s stand and its security concerns over Pakistan’s terrorism.

He said the delegation told them that the Pahalgam attack was carried out by terrorists who came from Pakistan.

The MP said they also told the leaders of those countries that the Resistance Front (TRF), which carried out the Pahalgam attack, is the new name of LeT and that India had approached the UN Sanctions Committee 1262 in December 2023 and May and June 2024 to declare it as a terror outfit.

Owaisi also stated that two of the four emails about owning up Pahalgam attack emanated from close to Pakistan’s military cantonment board.

“The leader of some countries asked, why don’t you talk. We cited that we held talks after 26/11, but there was no use,” he said.

The Hyderabad MP said that after Pathankot, the Modi government took the wrong decision to invite ISI, and nothing was achieved from this.

--IANS

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