Asaduddin Owaisi's Black Band Appeal For Friday Prayers After J&K Attack
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has appealed to Muslims to wear black bands on their arms when they go for Friday prayers tomorrow to send a united message of condemnation on terror and the killings of tourists in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam.
In a video that the MP of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) posted on X, he said, "As you all know, Pakistan's Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists have taken the lives of 26 tourists in Pahalgam. In condemnation of this act of terror and crime, when you go for prayers tomorrow, please wear a black band on your arm," Mr Owaisi said in the video.
India has responded with several measures against Pakistan following the terror attack, which has cross-border links. The Attari-Wagah border has been shut, the Indus Water Treaty has been suspended, all Pakistani nationals have been told to leave India, and all defence staff at the Pakistani embassy have been ordered to return home, among other measures.
"My appeal in connection with the terrorist attack in Pahalgam: Tomorrow when you go to offer namaaz-e-jumma, wear a black band on your arm. By doing this we will send a message that we Indians will not let foreign forces weaken the peace and unity of India," Mr Owaisi wrote in the post in Hindi.
"Because of this attack, the terrorists have got an opportunity to target our Kashmiri brothers. I appeal to all Indians not to fall prey to the tricks of the enemy," Mr Owaisi said.
Jammu and Kashmir People's Conference (JKPC) MLA Sajad Lone also said yesterday the terrorists launched a "multifaceted attack" to drag the region back to the dark days before special status under Article 370 of the Constitution was scrapped.
"These villains have come and uprooted everything for us, societally, socially, we don't know. We can't explain to the whole world it's not us. It was a soil that was used by outsiders. And tourism is an economic lifeline. They've hit at it and they know it hurts. They basically want Kashmiris to be out on the roads, be beggars and be tools for exploitation. So, as I said, it's multifaceted. In the short term, we see that they kill these innocent people. And in the longer term, it is the economic lifeline that they are struck at," Mr Lone told NDTV.
The government today briefed leaders of various political parties on the Pahalgam terror attack and heard their views at an all-party meeting. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju were present from the government's side.
Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha JP Nadda, Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi were also present at the meeting chaired by Mr Singh.
There has been a convention for calling an all-party meeting following an incident with serious repercussions related to national security, as was seen after the Pulwama terror attack in 2019 or during the India-China standoff in 2020.
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