In perhaps the harshest response by an Opposition leader so far, AIMIM chief Asaddudin Owaisi on Thursday came out all guns blazing against Pakistan and the attacker of the ghastly terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam town on April 22 that left at least 26 people dead and several others injured.
While Opposition leaders have been largely guarded in their response to the deadly terror strike, limiting their reactions to condemning the attack and expressing solidarity with the government and its actions in wake of the emerging scenario, Owaisi took it several notches up the scale.
In his response, loaded with expletives, the Hyderabad MP directly named Pakistan and its intelligence unit, the ISI, and also whole-heartedly acknowledged what many have attempted to brush under the carpet -- what happened in Pahalgam on April 22 was an act of Islamic terror targeted at Hindus and that the terrorists profiled their victims on the basis of their religion before killing them in cold blood in front of their families.
"Inn ka***no, ha***zaado ne jo harkat ki, wahan par naam pooch kar goli maare, samudaay pooch kar maare, iski accountability to honi chaiye. Aur yakeenan ye dehshatgar humare padosi mulk Pakistan se aaye, Pakistan ke ISI, Pakistan ka establishment, unka poora support inko haasil hai," the Lok Sabha MP said in Hyderabad.
"There should be no compromise on terrorism. The need of the hour is to take care of the nation. Whatever steps the government takes for the national interest, security, and protection of Kashmiris, the AIMIM will support them. In this critical time, we have to be united for national interest," Owaisi added.
Then, in a separate video message, he appealed to Muslims to wear black armbands when they offer Friday prayers to send a message to the terrorists that "we condemn their acts."
"We strongly condemn this heinous act of terrorism. Under no circumstances can we permit terrorists to misuse the name of Islam to justify the killing of innocent people. We will never tolerate foreign forces invading our nation and taking the lives of our fellow citizens. It is imperative that we, as a united people, collectively denounce such acts," he said.
"As you head for the Friday prayers tomorrow, I urge you to wear a black band on your arm. Through this gesture, we will send a clear message that we, as Indians, will not allow foreign forces to weaken the peace and unity of our nation," he said in an appeal to the Muslim community, also appealing to all Indians not to "fall into the enemy’s trap" and allow "troublemakers an excuse to target our Kashmiri brothers".
He later participated in a candle-light march with Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy in Hyderabad.
On social media, Owaisi's remarks spread like wildfire, earning praise and calls for unity even from right-wing handles. "Asaduddin Owaisi sounds far better than "Secular Hindus" while speaking about the #PahalgamTerroristAttack. He once again says that Hindus were killed because of their religion and it should be avenged," one user said on X.
"For first time in my life, I can say that I agree with Owaisi. Also, the way he describes it is better than kadi ninda!" said another. Others flooded Owaisi's comments with replies ranging from "Respect", "This Is one of those rare occasions" to calls for justice and one claiming that the Lok Sabha MP had surpassed "secular Hindus".
And they may not be completely off the mark. Owaisi's no-holds-barred pushback against Islamic terror after the Pahalgam terror attack is far more emphatic and straight forward than how those in the government or right-wing X accounts have reacted to the incident. The impact of a public outburst with an intensity that Owaisi brought to it can be manifold.
For starters, a condemnation of the nature that Owaisi, one of the most influential voices from the Muslim community, delivered after the Pahalgam terror attack is rare. Owaisi's remarks, though unparliamentary, manifested the anger that many Indians, especially Hindus, are sharing -- some within the confines of their homes and close ones, others on the street in candle-light marches.
Owaisi's remarks also offer pointers to the Muslim community which has been vilified in WhatsApp groups and social media after details of the attack emerged. There have been calls for economic isolation of the community even as Kashmiri students faced threats with many forced to leave their places of education and return.
The outburst also offers pointers not just to those Muslims who were unsure of how they should react to the developments, but also to fence-sitters who have sought to undermine the nature and message behind the ghastly terror attack.
What stood out in Owaisi's reaction was also the contrast to the recent protests against the Waqf Amendment Act, which among things, also sought to highlight the Narendra Modi government's "conspiracy" to "vilify" the Muslim community and "undermine its interests".
Owaisi's appeal to Muslims to sport black arm bands at Friday prayers as a token of the Muslim community's rejection of Islamic terror backed by Pakistan, thus, is also an attempt to maintain the legitimacy of the Waqf protests. A similar appeal to sport black bands was issued for the Friday prayers ahead of Eid last month as a symbol of opposition to the Waqf Amendment Act.
However, the biggest takeaway from Owaisi's condemnation of the Pahalgam attack is the fact that he has chosen to acknowledge Islamic terror and busted the narrative that "terror has no religion" and that terrorists should be seen only through the prism of their actions and not for the religious hatred that drives these actions.
Owaisi's words, though calculated and measured -- aimed at ending the vilification of Muslims in the aftermath of the worst terror attack against civilians in decades -- may have ended the debate on Islamic terrorism once and for all.
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