New Delhi, Nov 20 Congress MP Imran Masood and People's Democratic Party (PDP) leader Iltija Mufti have drawn strong criticism from the BJP after both commented on the viral video of Delhi blast accused Dr Umar Muhammad, in which he attempted to justify suicide attacks as a "martyrdom operation -- as known in Islam".
Masood countered the claim, saying suicide attacks are "haram" in Islam and argued that Umar carried out the Red Fort car blast only because he was a "misguided youth".
Mufti said the video left her personally disturbed as a Kashmiri and forced reflection on the deepening cycle of violence, repression and alienation, warning that the visuals point to wider societal fractures that the nation continues to overlook. She said that even as "right-wing groups amplify" such videos, the underlying problems remain unaddressed by the authorities.
The remarks prompted a fierce backlash from the BJP, which accused the two leaders of trying to "justify" an attack that killed at least 13 people and injured several others.
Slamming the leaders, BJP national spokesperson Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told IANS, "There are certain proxy groups in Pakistan, people who consistently align themselves with Pakistan and Pakistan-sponsored terrorism. Whenever action is taken against terrorists, their restlessness and ‘pain’ become evident. Whenever Karachi suffers, these people here also appear ‘wounded’ and restless. That is why they are always in sync."
"You must understand that whenever our security forces have responded to terrorists and their masterminds for their crimes and atrocities, Pakistan has kept demanding 'evidence'. This combination of 'evidence and questions' is nothing new for them. It is part of their longstanding strategy," he added.
BJP leader Pratul Shah Deo also condemned the comments by Mufti and Masood, saying, "They should feel ashamed. He (Umar) is a terrorist, not a misguided youth. If you are calling such terrorists 'misguided youth', I don't think this country is the right place for you. If you want to show him the 'right path', you should take him to Pakistan."
The Samajwadi Party distanced itself from the statements by Masood and Mufti, insisting that political parties must maintain unity against terrorism.
SP spokesperson Abbas Haider told IANS, "Whichever political party it may be, I believe there should be no unnecessary statements on such issues. One thing is clear that all 140 crore citizens of our country, irrespective of their religion or community, stand united against terrorism."
"Everyone wants terrorism to be eradicated from its roots, something our government has completely failed to achieve. Even so, we stand firmly with our government on the issue of terrorism and on finding ways to eliminate it," he added.
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