PM owes answer on action taken for intelligence failure: Owaisi

Hyderabad, March 2 (IANS) MIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Saturday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to tell the country as to what action he took over the intelligence failure which led to the February 14 terror attack at Pulwama that killed 40 CRPF troopers.

The Hyderabad MP asked Modi to specify as to how many officials were sacked and how many of his Ministers resigned over the intelligence failure.

Addressing a meeting to mark the 61st anniversary of the revival of the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM), Owaisi said Modi also owed an answer to the country on diplomatic and political failure.

"How the RDX came? Where is the DNA of the suicide bombers? These are the questions whose answers the country wants to know from the Prime Minister," said Owaisi.

Referring to the video of the suicide bomber, the MP said Modi should have also found out from where he got the two US-made firearms shown in the video.

Owaisi cautioned the political parties against seeking votes on the sacrifices of brave soldiers. "If any party seeks votes on sacrifices of brave soldiers, I will expose you," he said.

On return of the Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot Abhinandan Varthaman from Pakistan, he said MIM was happy that the son of India returned safely.

"Country's enemies are our enemies. Terrorists are our enemies. Political differences are there and they will always be there but country comes first. There will be no compromise as long as the country's border, its territorial integrity and sovereignty are concerned."

On Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi's statement asking India to provide evidence of Jaish-e-Mohammed leader Masood Azhar's involvement in the terror attack, Owaisi pointed out that the UN had declared JeM a proscribed organization.

"What more proof Pakistan needs>?" he asked.

Owaisi demanded that Pakistan should jail Masood Azhar. He termed the JeM as a group of 'satans'. "He is not a Moulana but a disciple of shaitan. He (Hafiz Saeed) is not Hafiz but a murderer," he said and alleged that they were maligning Islam.

Owaisi said they were not even distantly related to Islam and challenged them to have a debate with Islamic scholars of India who would prove that there was no room for terrorism in Islam.

The MIM ridiculed Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan for referring to Tipu Sultan and Bahadur Shah Zafar in Pakistan's National Assembly. He reminded Khan that Tipu Sultan was not an enemy of Hindus. "He (Khan) is saying he has an atom bomb. We also have it."