Terrorists not human, but don't target Muslims: Jamiat

New Delhi: Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind chief Maulana Arshad Madani on Sunday said the terrorists who killed tourists in Pahalgam cannot be considered human, but targeting the entire Muslim community on this context is also wrong.

Speaking at a press conference held after a two-day working committee meeting of the Jamiat (Arshad Madani faction), he also questioned the efficacy of the government’s decision to strike down the Indus Water Treaty.

“These rivers — Chenab, Ravi, Jhelum, Beas and Sutlej — have been flowing for thousands of years and become Indus there. Where will you take this water? It’s not an easy task,” he said.

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Madani said the rule should be of love and not hatred. “I am a Muslim, I have spent my entire life in this country. And I know some of the things being promoted here are not suitable for the country,” he said.

If the government is “100 per cent sure” that houses of only those involved in the attack were demolished in Kashmir, Madani said, then the action is absolutely right. But it would be wrong to take such actions just on suspicion, he said.

Without naming Pakistan, he said the government must stop terror at its source to prevent future attacks.

The Maulana said terrorists who struck Pahalgam knows nothing about Islam.

“Islam does not allow killing of innocent people. It is a grave sin. Those who commit such acts cannot be considered human,” he said.

He said Muslims, especially kashmiris, are being targeted across the country after the Pahalgam attack and alleged that it is due to the government’s policy of hatred.

On the question of security lapse, Madani said the government should investigate how such a big attack took place within our borders and it is strange that there were no proper security arrangements at a tourist spot where more than 3,000 visitors had gathered.

“How did terrorists manage to reach such a tourist destination so easily when Army and BSF soldiers are stationed at every step? This question was raised since the very first day of the attack, yet no answer has been given so far,” he said.

“After the attack, it took one-and-a-half hours for the police and Army personnel to arrive. It was the local people came to the victims’ aid and carried them to the hospital. Is this not a clear failure of the security system?” the Jamiat chief asked.

He also justified the action against illegal Bangladeshi immigrants but maintained that the Bengali-speaking people of West Bengal, Assam and Tripura should not be harassed under its guise.

On a possible war with Pakistan, he said war is not a good solution as it will have major economic implications.

Regarding the Waqf (Amendment) Act, Madani reiterated that it has been brought in to “grab properties”. The new law will not protect Waqf properties, but will snatch them away, he alleged.

Madani said there should be peaceful protests against the new Waqf law and such protests are indeed happening across the country. Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind has also organised three rallies with participation from millions of people but they caused no unrest, he said.

“We must not take the law into our hands. We are peace-loving people, and the rights given to us by the Constitution should guide our protests,” he asserted.

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