Owaisi questions BJP’s foreign policy and minority rights amid rising tensions in West Asia

Hyderabad parliamentarian Asaduddin Owaisi on Friday questioned India’s foreign policy under the BJP, asking why the Union government had not openly condemned the recent attack on Iran and why the Prime Minister had engaged with leaders such as Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump ahead of the escalation.

Addressing a public meeting during the Jalsa Youm-ul-Quran programme, Mr. Owaisi said India had historically followed a neutral foreign policy for decades and stood with the Palestinian people.

“Look at my speech from a couple of weeks ago. I had said that they would attack Iran once Modi leaves [from Israel],” he said.

The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen president linked the situation to India’s energy situation, stating that nearly 60% of the country’s oil and gas supplies pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Any disruption in the region, he opined, would lead to rising fuel prices.

AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi and others pray at the Jalsa Youm‑ul‑Quran at Makkah Masjid in Hyderabad on Friday.
| Photo Credit:
RAMAKRISHNA G

He criticised the Prime Minister’s diplomatic outreach, asking why India had not publicly opposed the attack despite the potential implications. Mr. Owaisi said the Prime Minister should have conveyed to Iran earlier that no country should have carried out such an attack.

He said that he had called for a retaliation on Pakistan at an all party meeting after the Pahalgam terror attack, invoking Article 51 of the Constitution and the UN Charter. He sought to buttress his argument by stating that Pakistan had killed innocent civilians after asking their religion.

Mr. Owaisi listed incidents of injustices againt minorities and cited a number of cases from different parts of the country and alleged that hatred was being fomented against the community.

Among the incidents he mentioned were killings during election-related tensions in Meghalaya, the alleged desecration of a mosque in Tura, and a case in Rajasthan in which a man transporting fruit was killed. He also referred to police action in Delhi where houses were demolished following a neighbourhood dispute.

Mr. Owaisi further criticised remarks attributed to a police officer in Sambhal who had questioned Muslims protesting against the attack on Iran. He said citizens had the right to protest under Article 19 of the Constitution.

Touching upon the remergence of the narrative on a Uniform Civil Code, Mr. Owaisi said that attempts were being made to foist Hindu law on the country. He underscored that marriage in Islam is a contract, and nikah is an essential part of the Islamic religion and not just a ritual.

He cited various marriage laws governing different religions in India and emphasised that each religious community has its own personal laws and traditions. He asserted that through the Uniform Civil Code, Hindu law cannot be imposed upon Muslims, and stressed that religious freedom and personal laws must be respected in a pluralistic society.