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India Gazette
3 days ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
"Pakistan should be brought back to FATF Grey List": Asaduddin Owaisi in Riyadh
Riyadh [Saudi Arabia], May 29 (ANI): All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) MP Asaduddin Owaisi on Thursday informed the Saudi officials that Pakistan is propagating terrorism and targeting Indian citizens, and urged them to bring Pakistan back to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Grey List to curb terror financing. He is part of a multi-party delegation led by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Baijayant Panda under Operation Sindoor outreach to convey India's unified stance against terrorism and seek international support to hold Pakistan accountable. During his visit, Owaisi interacted with Saudi officials and highlighted Pakistan's false propaganda about India. He said that the delegation apprised officials as well as the diaspora members from India about the terrorism propagated by Pakistan against Indian citizens. '27 lakh members of the Indian diaspora reside and work in the Kingdom of Saudi the delegation met, we told them how Pakistan is propagating terrorism and how Indian citizens are targeted. We told them that Pakistan should be brought back to the FATF Grey List. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a member of the FATF. They helped us in 2018,' Owaisi told ANI. He emphasised that India is home to over 14.5 crore proud Muslims, showcasing the country's rich Islamic heritage and esteemed scholars, thereby refuting Pakistan's claims of representing all Muslims. Owaisi said that the multi-party delegation met with Abdullah ibn Muhammad, head of Saudi Arabia's Shura Council, and Adel al-Jubeir, Saudi Arabia's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs. Regarding concerns raised over the issue of talks between India and Pakistan, he added that talks were held after the Mumbai terror attack and Pathankot. Still, they yielded no results and only losses. 'It was a good meeting. They, too, had some concerns. They asked us what could be done about the talks. We told them we talked after 26/11, after Pathankot, but it yielded no result. Instead, we suffered a loss. So, all in all, we presented all of this before them. We told them about Pakistan's propaganda - we told them that around 14.5 crore Muslims live in India. And what they (Pakistan) say is absolutely wrong,' Owaisi said. Owaisi pointed out that despite receiving significant financial aid from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan's economy is not stabilising, and the funds are not being utilised for the welfare of the poor. Specifically, he mentioned that Saudi Arabia provided $2 billion in aid to Pakistan last year and a $3 billion loan in 2024. He compared Pakistan's defense budget, which is 2.6% of its GDP, to India's 1.9%, highlighting the disparity in military spending between the two nations. Owaisi discussed the recent Pahalgam terror attack and assured the Saudi officials that India is working to resolve such issues, while also exposing Pakistan's alleged role in promoting terrorism. 'We told them that Saudi Arabia gave Pakistan 2 billion USD in aid last year. In 2024, Saudi Arabia gave them a loan of 3 billion USD. We told them Pakistan's economy is not stabilising, and the money is not being used for the poor. We told them that Pakistan's defence budget is 2.6% of its GDP, whereas India's is 1.9%. The Ulemas in Pakistan are no match for the Ulemas in told them how work is being done in India, how Ulemas are working there, and how Pakistani propaganda is a lie. What they did in Pahalgam, we said that there are problems in our country as well, but we are trying to resolve this,' Owaisi said. In a strong demonstration of India's united political front against terrorism, an all-party parliamentary delegation led by BJP MP Baijayant Panda arrived in Riyadh on Wednesday to strengthen diplomatic ties and explore avenues of cooperation between India and Saudi Arabia. Maj Gen Abdulrahman Alharbi, Chair of the India-Saudi Arabia Council Friendship Committee of the Shura Council, warmly welcomed the delegation. This multi-party delegation includes BJP MPs Nishikant Dubey, Phangnon Konyak, Rekha Sharma, Satnam Singh Sandhu, AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, and former diplomat Harsh Shringla. The multi-party delegations, consisting of seven groups led by one MP each, have been initiated to counter Pakistan's misinformation on terrorism and highlight India's zero-tolerance policy on terrorism. (ANI)
Hindustan Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
In Riyadh, Asaduddin Owaisi targets Pakistan Army chief: ‘US-designated terrorist sitting with Asim Munir'
Asaduddin Owaisi of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) said there are "clear evidence" of Pakistan's involvement with terrorism. Speaking at an interaction in Riyadh, Asaduddin Owaisi, who is a member of the all-party delegation led by Bharatiya Janata Party MP Baijayant Panda, pointed out the promotion of Pakistani Army chief Asim Munir as Field Marshal and how a US-designated terrorist was seen sitting beside him at a celebratory event. The AIMIM chief also referred to a photo to prove his point. Citing the need to control the terror funding to terrorist organisations, Owaisi urged that Pakistan should be put back on the grey list of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a global money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog. "Pakistan must be brought back to the FATF grey list. That is where we will be able to control this terror financing of all these terrorist organisations. When this person (Asim Munir) was made a Field Marshal in Pakistan, a US-designated terrorist called Mohammad Ehsan was sitting right beside the Field Marshal. There are photographs of him shaking hands with this field marshal," Owaisi said. "There is clear evidence of Pakistan's involvement," he added. The AIMIM leader said that terror groups are prospering and being trained in Pakistan, and their aim is to destabilise India, to manufacture more Hindu-Muslim riots in the nation. According to the specially designated nationals (SDN) list on the official website of the US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), "Ahsan, Muhammad (aka Ehsan Muhammad, aka Ihsan Muhammad, aka Ullah Ehsan), Sialkot, Pakistan, Islamabad, born in 1970, alternatively in 1971, and again alternative year 1972, in Sialkot, is designated under the "Secondary sanctions risk, section 1(b) of Executive Order 13244, as amended by Executive Order 13886 (individual)." He is linked to the terrorist outfit 'Lashkar-e-Taiba'. Meanwhile, Owaisi further backed his call to add Pakistan back to the FATF grey list and recalled that after the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, Indian investigators provided Islamabad with all the evidence, but still, they did not take any action. "What made Pakistan move forward in this terrorist trial was when it was put on the FATF grey list," Owaisi said. He further exposed Pakistan's lie about the Mumbai attacks' key accused, Sajid Mir. "One meeting was held in Germany, and India wanted one Sajid Mir to be indicted, but Pakistan said he's dead... Pakistan came up to the Committee of FATF and said Sajid Mir is alive. Can you imagine the country which was saying he's dead, suddenly, he's alive?" Owaisi asked. The AIMIM chief clarified and busted the rumour spread by the Pakistani government that Indian courts had allegedly convicted Mir for some 5-10 years, but the main culprits were still scot-free. "They were convicted for money laundering, not for terrorism," he added. The AIMIM chief added that Indian investigating agencies had recorded conversations between the 26/11 attacker and their handlers in Pakistan, providing it to Islamabad as evidence. "The Indian legal system followed all the due process of law, and Ajmal Kasab was sentenced to death, and he revealed many things. Our agencies were capable enough to record the audio conversations in which the terrorist group, sitting in Pakistan, were having with terrorists who were killing Indians in five-star hotels, and those conversations they were clearly told them not to lose heart, kill as many Indians as you can, and you'll go to Jannat. This was the conversation that was recorded," Owaisi stated. He further recalled that after the 2016 attack on the Indian Air Force's Pathankot Airbase, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had gone to Pakistan uninvited and called on Islamabad to send its own team to India to get clear evidence and even then, nothing happened. "Pathankot happened, after my Prime Minister went to Pakistan, uninvited, and I want to put it on record, I was the one who criticised him for going over there. Many opposition parties criticised why my Prime Minister went uninvited from Afghanistan to Nawaz Sharif's place. Our air base was attacked, and we lost many personnel over there," he said in Riyadh. Owaisi added, 'The Prime Minister said Pakistan wants proof; you (Pakistan) send your own team. Can you imagine any country inviting a neighbouring country's spy agency? They were invited, they were given all the records, but nothing moved, nothing happened. If the question is - why don't we speak to Pakistan, who do we speak to in Pakistan?' In addition to Owaisi, the Baijayant Panda-led delegation includes Nishikant Dubey (BJP), Phangnon Konyak (BJP), Rekha Sharma (BJP), Satnam Singh Sandhu, Ghulam Nabi Azad; and Ambassador Harsh Shringla. These all-party delegation teams, the key part of India's global outreach program on Operation Sindoor, are tasked with briefing the nation's international country partners about New Delhi's stance on terrorism and its fight against the same. Operation Sindoor was launched on May 7 by the Indian armed forces to carry out precision strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The forces had destroyed nine terror camps, and killed over 100 terrorists in Operation Sindoor. This operation was launched as a response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir that killed 26 people, mostly tourists.
India Gazette
4 days ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
"Pakistan must be put back on FATF grey list", says Asaduddin Owaisi in Riyadh
Riyadh [Saudi Arabia], May 29 (ANI): All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) MP Asaduddin Owaisi, who is part of the all-party delegation led by BJP MP Baijayant Panda, said that Pakistan should be put back on the FATF grey list to curb the funding of terrorist groups. He claimed that terrorist organisations are being trained in Pakistan and are trying to create unrest in India. Owaisi also pointed to a photo showing a US-designated terrorist sitting next to Pakistan's army chief, saying it shows clear links to terrorism. Speaking at the interaction in Riyadh, Owaisi said, '...Pakistan must be brought back to the FATF grey list. That is where we will be able to control this terror financing of all these terrorist organisations. When this person (Asim Munir) was made a Field Marshal in Pakistan, a US-designated terrorist called Mohammad Ehsan was sitting right beside the Field Marshal. There are photographs of him shaking hands with this field marshal. There is clear evidence of Pakistan's involvement. These terror groups are prospering over there, they are being trained over there, and the whole task is to destabilise India to create more Hindu Muslim riots in India.' He further added that Indian investigators had given all the evidence to Pakistan after the Mumbai attacks, but no progress was made until global pressure forced action. Owaisi stated that Pakistan first claimed key accused Sajid Mir was dead, but later admitted he was alive under FATF scrutiny. 'After 26/11, my government, headed by the then Prime Minister, late Dr Manmohan Singh, the Indian investigators went to Pakistan, gave them all the evidence, but you'll be surprised to know that nothing moved forward. What made Pakistan move forward in this terrorist trial was when Pakistan was put on the FATF grey list. One meeting was held in Germany, and India wanted one Sajid Mir to be indicted, but Pakistan said he's dead... Pakistan came up to the Committee of FATF and said Sajid Mir is alive. Can you imagine the country which was saying he's dead, suddenly, he's alive? And then the Pakistani government said that our courts have convicted him for some 5 to 10 years, but the main culprits of the 26/11 are still scot-free. They were convicted of money laundering, not for terrorism,' Owaisi said. Owaisi added that Indian agencies had recorded conversations between the attackers and their handlers in Pakistan, where the terrorists were told to kill as many people as possible and were promised 'Jannat' (heaven) for doing so. He further added, '...The Indian legal system followed all the due process of law, and Ajmal Kasab was sentenced to death, and he revealed many things. Our agencies were capable enough to record the audio conversations in which the terrorist group, sitting in Pakistan, were having with terrorists who were killing Indians in five-star hotels, and those conversations they were clearly told them not to lose heart, kill as many Indians as you can, and you'll go to Jannat. This was the conversation that was recorded...' The delegation, led by BJP MP Baijayant Panda, also includes BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, BJP MP Phangnon Konyak; BJP MP Rekha Sharma; AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi; Satnam Singh Sandhu MP; Ghulam Nabi Azad; and Ambassador Harsh Shringla. The delegation aims to brief international partners on India's response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack and its broader fight against cross-border terrorism while engaging with leaders in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Algeria. The multi-party delegation, consisting of seven groups led by one MP each, has been initiated to counter global misinformation and highlight India's zero-tolerance policy on terrorism. (ANI)
NDTV
4 days ago
- Politics
- NDTV
Pak Must Be Put Back On Money Laundering Grey List: A Owaisi In Saudi Arabia
Riyadh: All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) MP Asaduddin Owaisi, who is part of the all-party delegation led by BJP MP Baijayant Panda, said that Pakistan should be put back on the FATF grey list to curb the funding of terrorist groups. He claimed that terrorist organisations are being trained in Pakistan and are trying to create unrest in India. Mr Owaisi also pointed to a photo showing a US-designated terrorist sitting next to Pakistan's army chief, saying it shows clear links to terrorism. Speaking at the interaction in Riyadh, Mr Owaisi said, "...Pakistan must be brought back to the FATF grey list. That is where we will be able to control this terror financing of all these terrorist organisations. When this person (Asim Munir) was made a Field Marshal in Pakistan, a US-designated terrorist called Mohammad Ehsan was sitting right beside the Field Marshal. There are photographs of him shaking hands with this field marshal. There is clear evidence of Pakistan's involvement. These terror groups are prospering over there, they are being trained over there, and the whole task is to destabilise India to create more Hindu Muslim riots in India." He further added that Indian investigators had given all the evidence to Pakistan after the Mumbai attacks, but no progress was made until global pressure forced action. Mr Owaisi stated that Pakistan first claimed key accused Sajid Mir was dead, but later admitted he was alive under FATF scrutiny. "After 26/11, my government, headed by the then Prime Minister, late Dr Manmohan Singh, the Indian investigators went to Pakistan, gave them all the evidence, but you'll be surprised to know that nothing moved forward. What made Pakistan move forward in this terrorist trial was when Pakistan was put on the FATF grey list. One meeting was held in Germany, and India wanted one Sajid Mir to be indicted, but Pakistan said he's dead... Pakistan came up to the Committee of FATF and said Sajid Mir is alive. Can you imagine the country which was saying he's dead, suddenly, he's alive? And then the Pakistani government said that our courts have convicted him for some 5 to 10 years, but the main culprits of the 26/11 are still scot-free. They were convicted of money laundering, not for terrorism," Mr Owaisi said. Mr Owaisi added that Indian agencies had recorded conversations between the attackers and their handlers in Pakistan, where the terrorists were told to kill as many people as possible and were promised 'Jannat' (heaven) for doing so. He further added, "...The Indian legal system followed all the due process of law, and Ajmal Kasab was sentenced to death, and he revealed many things. Our agencies were capable enough to record the audio conversations in which the terrorist group, sitting in Pakistan, were having with terrorists who were killing Indians in five-star hotels, and those conversations they were clearly told them not to lose heart, kill as many Indians as you can, and you'll go to Jannat. This was the conversation that was recorded..." The delegation, led by BJP MP Baijayant Panda, also includes BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, BJP MP Phangnon Konyak; BJP MP Rekha Sharma; AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi; Satnam Singh Sandhu MP; Ghulam Nabi Azad; and Ambassador Harsh Shringla. The delegation aims to brief international partners on India's response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack and its broader fight against cross-border terrorism while engaging with leaders in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Algeria. The multi-party delegation, consisting of seven groups led by one MP each, has been initiated to counter global misinformation and highlight India's zero-tolerance policy on terrorism.
New Indian Express
5 days ago
- Business
- New Indian Express
In Kuwait, Owaisi says Pakistan must be brought back to FATF grey list
NEW DELHI: All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) MP Asaduddin Owaisi, who is part of the multi -party delegation, strongly advocated for Pakistan's re-induction on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list, and sought tighter financial scrutiny against the neighboring country. During an interaction with the Indian diaspora in Kuwait, Owaisi said Pakistan might use the $2 billion IMF loan to support its military and terror groups. 'Pakistan must be brought back in the FATF grey list. The importance of the FATF grey list is that there will be huge scrutiny on that nation when you do money transactions.'
