In a really strong message to the international community, Pakistan Interior Minister, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan revealed that the government will be pushing the United Nations to list extremist Hindu group among the world’s terrorist organizations.
Defiant Shiv Sena
This is not the first time Islamabad has called on the international community to take notice of the extremist group’s activities. Earlier this month, the Hindu right-wing party thanked Islamabad for calling it a terrorist organization.
“If Pakistan considers us as its enemy, it is a matter of pride. It is like getting Mahavir Chakra,” an editorial in Shiv Sena’s mouthpiece, Saamna, stated.
“Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray had said that it was a matter of pride for him to be in the hit list of Pakistani terror groups. Pakistan’s appeal from the international community against Shiv Sena is a stamp on our pure nationalism,” the article titled Shiv Sena ko Mahavir Chakra, Shukriya Pakistan said, according to India Today.
Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson, Qazi Khalilullah also urged international community to start taking serious notice of Shiv Sena’s terrorist activities before stating that Pakistan had repeatedly expressed its concerns about the extremist group.
The minister was holding a meeting with journalists during which he also revealed that Islamabad will not be looking to proceed with any talks with New Delhi until it does not behave like a responsible state, before also revealing that he does not approve of playing cricket with India.
“We will not play cricket in India, I will oppose it,” he said.
A key ally of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Shiv Sena has been in the headlines in recent weeks for its anti-Pakistan rhetoric and activities. Notorious for its violent activities, the group has in past targeted high-profile visitors from Pakistan, including former foreign minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri and Ghazal maestro Ghulam Ali.
More recently, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was forced to cancel talks with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to revive bilateral cricketing ties after Shiv Sena extremists stormed the Mumbai office of BCCI when PCB chief Shahryar Khan the head of PCB’s executive committee Najam Sethi were holding talks with BCCI in an effort to finalize the India-Pakistan cricket series in December.
However, the party’s activists crashed through the gates of the office, chanting anti-Pakistan slogans and demanded Shahryar and Sethi’s immediate return to their country.
The extremist party is completely against any sort of engagement with Pakistan and has stated that it will not allow the cricket team to play in India. However, this is not the first time Shiv Sena has resorted to such extreme measures to prove its point. The infamous party also threatened Pakistani umpire Aleem Dar to avoid officiating the fifth One Day International between India and South Africa which forced the International Cricket Council to call him back as a precautionary measure.
In recent times, Shiv Sena’s proclivity for violence has really made it hard for Pakistan and India to improve their relationship and lead it to a better state than it is in right now. Taking full use of divisive and subversive political campaigns, Shiv Sena has been targeting Muslims living in the southern and northern part of the country.
Anti-Muslim party
Even in India, many people do not agree with the methods of the extremist party with political science professor, Malvika Maheshwari calling the extremist group an “anti-Muslim party”.
Former Pakistan president, Pervez Musharraf has also called Shiv Sena a terrorist outfit and agrees the recent moves made by Islamabad with regards to taking the Sena issue to the United Nations. The retired general also laid blame on Indian PM Narendra Modi, stating that the recent Indian actions do not speak for BJP or the Congress, instead, these actions are largely decided by an individual.
“I think it is an issue of individual and not parties. Now it’s about India’s new PM,” Musharraf said.
Musharaf went on to praise former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee and criticized the current Indian PM for having issues with both Pakistan and Muslims in general.
“I don’t know what he has against Pakistan and Muslims. Vajpayee was very good,” he said.
