Sena slams Cong for questioning timing of JeM chief's listing

Mumbai: Terming the United Nations' move of designating Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist a "diplomatic win" for India, the Shiv Sena Friday lashed out at the Congress for questioning its timing.

In an editorial in its mouthpiece 'Saamana', the party said there is no timing in the fight against terror.

The UN on Wednesday had designated Azhar as a "global terrorist" after China lifted its hold on a proposal to blacklist the Pakistan-based JeM chief, a decade after New Delhi approached the world body for the first time on the issue.

"Pakistan runs a factory of terrorism and Masood Azhar is its director...He is the number one enemy of India. He is the chief of Jaish-e-Mohammed, a Pakistan-based terror organisation. He is not only responsible for the terror activities in Kashmir, but was also behind the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai," the Sena said.

"Breaking India into pieces is Azhar's dream. This satan was also behind the deadly Pulwama terror attack that killed 40 jawans. Although he claimed the responsibility for the attack, the Congress leaders and Modi opponents alleged that it was done for political gains ahead of the Lok Sabha elections," the Uddhav Thackeray-led party said.

It added that it was unfortunate that the Congress even asked what did India gain by the UN's listing of Azhar as a "global terrorist".

"Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath went to the extent of questioning the timing of the UN move. There might be a fear in his mind that it may benefit Modi during the ongoing Lok Sabha polls. But he should ask the UN about its timing," the Sena said.

One should not think about the timing and emotions while dealing with terrorists, it added.

The Sena praised Modi over the UN move saying, "This is a victory of Indian diplomacy...Earlier, Modi did air strikes in Balakot and now cracked down on Azhar through the UN...This is why people believe in Modi's strong leadership."

Keep yourself updated on Lok Sabha Elections 2019 with our round-the-clock coverage -- breaking news, updates, analysis et al. Happy reading.