Daijiworld Media Network- Hyderabad
Hyderabad, Apr 28: All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi on Sunday launched a scathing attack on Pakistan, asserting that the neighbouring country is not merely “half an hour” but "half a century behind" India.
Addressing a public meeting at Parbhani in Maharashtra against the Waqf (Amendment) Act, Owaisi condemned Pakistan for the recent terror attack at Pahalgam and dismissed the threats made by Pakistani leaders.
"You are not just half an hour behind, you are half a century behind India. Your country's entire budget is not even equivalent to our military budget," Owaisi thundered, drawing loud applause from the audience.
Taking strong exception to Pakistan's nuclear posturing, Owaisi said, "They boast about nuclear and atomic bombs. But remember, if you kill innocents by crossing borders, no country will remain silent."
The AIMIM chief accused the terrorists involved in the Pahalgam attack of asking victims their religion before killing them. Terming them "worse than the Khawarij" and likening them to "successors of ISIS," Owaisi said their actions were a betrayal of humanity and religion.
He further accused Pakistan of training terrorists for decades to target India and demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi take strong economic measures to weaken Pakistan. Owaisi also noted that international law permits India to block Pakistan’s air routes and hack its internet networks using ethical hackers.
Strongly defending Kashmiris, Owaisi slammed media narratives that vilify them. "Kashmir is an integral part of India, and Kashmiris are too," he said, pointing out that Kashmiris had bravely fought the terrorists during the Pahalgam attack.
On the domestic front, Owaisi urged the Muslim community to protest against the Waqf (Amendment) Act by participating in the ‘Batti Gul’ programme on April 30, where people will switch off their lights as a mark of dissent. He criticized leaders like Ajit Pawar, Nitish Kumar, Jayant Chaudhary, and N. Chandrababu Naidu for supporting the Bill, accusing them of betraying secular values.
He alleged that Nitish Kumar had "once again resorted to backstabbing" and warned Chandrababu Naidu that he had jeopardized his son’s political future by backing the amendment.