Ceasefire or not, India must pursue terrorists responsible for Pahalgam attack: Owaisi

Hyderabad: With India and Pakistan agreeing to an immediate ceasefire, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Saturday said, truce or not, India must continue to pursue those behind the Pahalgam terror attack.

In a post on X, the Hyderabad MP said he wished Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the ceasefire rather than the President of a foreign country (US).

"#Ceasefire or no ceasefire we must pursue the terrorists responsible for #Pahalgam attack", he said adding as long as Pakistan uses its territory for terrorism against India, there can be no permanent peace.

Owaisi said he always stood by the government and the armed forces against external aggression and this will continue.

The AIMIM leader thanked the armed forces for their bravery and commendable skill.

He paid homage to Army jawan, M Murali Naik, ADDC Raj Kumar Thapa and prayed for all the civilians who were killed or injured during the conflict.

Owaisi expressed hope that the ceasefire would bring much-needed respite to people living in border areas.

He also urged Indians and political parties to reflect on the past two weeks. "India is strong when it is united; our enemies benefit when Indians fight Indians."

However, he said he had some questions and hoped the government would provide clarity on the matter.

"I wish our PM @narendramodi had announced the ceasefire rather than the President of a foreign country. We have always been opposed to third party intervention since Simla (1972). Why have we now accepted it? I hope the Kashmir issue will not be internationalised, as it is our internal matter", he said.

He sought to know why India was agreeing to hold talks on a neutral territory and sought clarity on the agenda of these discussions.

"Does the United States guarantee that Pakistan will not use its territory for terrorism?," he asked.

Owaisi questioned if the government succeeded in its objective of deterring Pakistan from carrying out future terror attacks. "Was our goal to get a Trump-brokered ceasefire or was it to bring Pakistan to such a position that it would not even dream of another terror attack?," he asked.

The AIMIM leader said India must persist with its effforts to have Pakistan placed on the FATF grey list.