Srinagar, May 06: Calling for decisive action against the perpetrators of the “cowardly Pahalgam attack,” All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaddudin Owaisi on Tuesday said that the April 22 attack has affected tourism in the valley.
Speaking to the media in Srinagar, Owaisi said, “The thing is that it (Pahalgam attack) has also affected Kashmir tourism, and hence, we want strong action to be taken against those who committed that. We had said this in the all-party meeting too.”
Talking about how the tourists were targeted based on religion, he expressed pain over the incident, saying that he has always opposed such kind of attacks.
“It was a cowardly attack. We have seen how terrorists from Pakistan killed 26 tourists. The more disheartening is how they were killed by separating kids and women, and asking males about their religion, and those who couldn’t recite the ‘Kalma’. This is a very painful thing. I have opposed this and will continue to oppose it,” Owaisi said.
Reacting to India’s suspension of the Indus Water Treaty, Owaisi urged people to wait and see what happens, as the treaty already has a mechanism for arbitration and appointing a neutral expert.
“It (Indus Waters Treaty) is in abeyance as of now. There is an issue of the neutral expert and the court of arbitration in it; let’s see what happens,” he said.
India took several diplomatic steps against Pakistan in response to the Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 tourists in Baisaran meadow on April 22. One of the significant acts was holding the Indus Water Treaty in abeyance, the first time either Pakistan or India has taken such a bold step in response to a terror attack.
India has also heavily regulated water flow from the Chenab River, which is part of the Indus water system, closing the gates of the Balighar and Salal dams.
According to the Pakistan news site Dawn News, the water flow in the Chenab, recorded at the Marala headworks, decreased from 35,000 cusecs on Sunday to about 3,100 cusecs on Monday morning.
“They have almost blocked the River Chenab flows to downstream (Pakistan) after they (Indian authorities) took the decision on Sunday,” a senior official of Pakistan’s Punjab irrigation department confirmed on Monday to Dawn.
Separately, a meeting of the advisory committee of the Indus River System Authority held in Islamabad on Monday also expressed concerns over the unilateral Indian decision that would cause additional shortages to Kharif crops, already facing an estimated 21 per cent shortfall.
The Indian government has reaffirmed its commitment to taking decisive action against terrorism and has vowed to ensure that the perpetrators and masterminds of the Pahalgam attack face severe punishment.
ANI
