SRINAGAR: Indian Muslim organisations have asked the Congress Vice President, Rahul Gandhi for proof over claims that Pakistan’s intelligence agency, ISI, was trying to woo Muslim victims of the Muzaffarnagar communal riots.
The All India Muslim Majlis-e Mushawarat, an umbrella body various Muslim organisations, has expressed fears that the claims were aimed at paving way for false implication of Muslims in terrorism cases.
The Hindu Nationalist Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) has also sought an apology from Mr Gandhi over the comments.
Mr Gandhi on Thursday said an officer of the Intelligence Bureau (IB) “walked into my office and told me that people (ISI) from Pakistan are talking to the relatives of Muslims killed in Muzaffarnagar.”
He said the officer told him that he was on his part trying to convince the victims not to get swayed by “Pakistani propaganda.”
Dr Zafarul-Islam Khan, President of the Committee, said this was “yet another concocted story perfected by the Intelligence Bureau which has caused 21 fake encounters in Gujarat and many more elsewhere like Batla House.”
He has asked Mr Gandhi to seek proof from the officer or punish him in case he failed to show it.
“Because he is simply paving the ground to fake another ‘Indian Mujahideen’ module in Muzaffarnagar to persecute Muslims who are already victims of Sangh (right-wing Hindu) violence,” he said in a statement from New Delhi.
Dr Khan said the IB has in the past even made a fake compact disc of former Indian Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination. This, he said, showed that IB was in cahoots with the Prime Minister’s killers.
Dr Khan has accused the IB of being a “rogue” organisation and said people with a right-wing ideology have “heavily infiltrated” into this “secret outfit”, using it to marginalise and criminalise minorities.
The BJP said Mr Gandhi’s, by his comments, has raised questions about the “patriotism of Indian Muslims”.
“He has tried to point the needle of suspicion at Muslims by his remarks today. These Muslims did not go to Pakistan at the time of Partition and decided to live here,” BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain told PTI.
“This is unfortunate. He should apologise for his remarks,” Mr Hussain said.
