In a charged address during the Lok Sabha debate on Operation Sindoor on Monday, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi lauded the Indian armed forces for their precision strikes on terror camps in Pakistan while sharply criticising the government’s strategic and diplomatic approach following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed 26 lives.
Owaisi began his speech by paying tribute to the victims of the Pahalgam attack, specifically mentioning Varun Iqbal, a teacher at Poonch’s Zia Uloom madrasa, five-year-old Mariyam, and 14-year-old twin sisters Zain Ali and Urwa Fatima, who were killed in a brutal act of terrorism linked to Pakistan-based outfits. He commended the military’s response, stating, “I congratulate our armed forces. They have made India's Operation Sindoor a success. For me, destroying the terror camp in Bahawalpur was the biggest achievement.”
However, Owaisi quickly pivoted to critique the government’s broader strategy, questioning the coherence of maintaining cricketing ties with Pakistan despite severed trade, airspace, and water-sharing relations. “You have stopped trade with Pakistan, closed your airspace, stopped their ships from entering our waters, then how will you play a cricket match with Pakistan?” he asked, emphasising the contradiction in engaging in sports diplomacy with a nation he accused of destabilising India through terrorism.
He further challenged the government’s handling of international narratives, particularly targeting former US President Donald Trump’s claim of brokering a ceasefire. “Does your conscience allow you to ask the family members of the people who were killed in Baisaran to watch India’s cricket match with Pakistan? … ‘Ek gora’ White House mein baithkar ceasefire ka elaan karta hai-yeh aapka nationalism hai?” (One white sitting in White House will announce ceasefire- is that your nationalism) Owaisi remarked, questioning India’s sovereignty in allowing foreign powers to shape its security narrative.
Owaisi also raised concerns about accountability, pointing to perceived lapses in intelligence and security that allowed the Pahalgam attack to occur. He demanded clarity on whether China had supplied arms to Pakistan and why no diplomatic protest was lodged. Quoting revolutionary Ashfaqulla Khan, he stressed the need for self-reliant defence, saying, “Apne haathon se sir katana hai,” to underline the importance of uncompromising national security.
The AIMIM leader called for depoliticising national security and urged the government to push for global action against The Resistance Front (TRF), a Lashkar-e-Taiba offshoot, by designating it a terrorist organisation and advocating for Pakistan’s re-inclusion on the FATF grey list. He argued that Pakistan’s “deep state” continues to weaken India, and symbolic gestures like cricket matches undermine the nation’s resolve.
