Mushawart, 30 Oct 2001, Press Statement, The Milli Gazette

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MUSHAWARAT CONDEMNS INVASION OF AFGHANISTAN BY USA

Regrets Increasing Loss of Civil Life and Destruction of Poor Country
Considers US Military Mission Doomed to Failure
Proposes International Action to Define Terrorism and Provide for Extradition and Prosecution of Terrorists
Calls Upon Muslims to be Cautious of Anti-Islamic Forces in India

New Delhi, 30 October, 2001: Mr Syed Shahabuddin, President of the All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat (AIMMM), has issued the following Statement:

"The All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat condemns the armed invasion of Afghanistan by the USA with the support of some other countries which has acquired a tragic dimension with increasing loss of civilian life. Despite US President George Bush’s assurance that the war he had initially declared against global terrorism was directed only against Osama bin Laden and not against the Afghan people or even against the Taliban regime, the real objective appears now to be to instal a Government in Kabul which would be more protective of US interests in the region.

The Mushawarat is of the view that the invasion of Afghanistan is an act of aggression by the USA against the State and the people of Afghanistan, that the plea of self-defence under Article 57 of the UN Charter is not tenable, that as a unilateral measure without UN sanction, the military action does not enjoy the mandate of the UN Security Council and that the USA is yet to place before the world credible and judicially conclusive evidence against Osama bin Laden, who stands charged, prosecuted, judged and convicted by the complainant itself, as the mastermind behind the terrorist strikes in the USA, and notes that the US Administration has not even initiated any legal proceeding against Osama bin Laden in its own court.

The Mushawarat is also of the view that the proclaimed objective of the invasion to ‘smoke out’ Bin Laden is like looking for a needle in a hay-stock and is not likely to be fulfilled in the near future, which implies continuing destruction of Afghanistan, a poor country and the killing of its innocent people.

The Mushawarat has noted that there is a rising wave of resentment and anger among the people of the world as well as world-wide protest, even in USA, and appeals to the Government of the USA to stop further military action and assist the international community to formulate a comprehensive UN Convention against Terrorism, in all its forms and manifestations, national and international, and devise a universally applicable procedure for dealing with culprits, whether individuals, national groups or States, and providing for an internationally guaranteed extradition and trial system.

The Mushawarat also calls upon the Government of India not to lose sight of the principle of truth and justice, or associate itself with the US military action in Afghanistan or assist it in furthering its war aims, in view of our longstanding relations with the Afghan people. The Mushawarat requests it to instruct the State administrations to perform their duty without bias and prejudice and with due consciousness of human and constitutional rights of the people.

The Mushawarat appeals to all the peace-loving people of India to form their opinion on the war only after due and serious deliberation, and to exert pressure upon the Government to take the initiative to stop the bloodshed and involve the international community in resolving the problem as a leader of the Non-aligned Movement.

Finally, the Mushawarat advises the Muslim community in India that they should exercise their right to freedom of expression within the limits set by the Constitution and the Law, so that the anti-Muslim forces in India do not exploit the situation and indulge in vilification and violence against the community. q

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