Owaisi writes to PM, blames him for Ladakh crisis

Owaisi, whose All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) was not invited to the all-party meeting convened by the Prime Minister on Ladakh clash, wrote a letter to him.

"The blame for this crisis lies solely with the political, strategic and military leadership headed by you. It is unfortunate that you failed in dealing with Chinese designs," the Hyderabad MP wrote.

Owaisi said the lives of those killed should not go in vain and the best way to avenge their lives must be recovering Chinese-occupied Indian territory in Galwan Valley and Pangong So Lake areas by any means necessary.

He demanded that the government share with the country the facts about extent of Chinese incursions, extent of lapses in Indian decision-making and the consequent loss of Indian territory to Chinese occupation.

Owaisi also sought an independent review committee to look into the sequence of events leading up to the loss of Indian lives and territory. "The government must publish the committee's findings in a white paper and make it accessible to the public," reads the letter.

The white paper should provide clarity on questions like how much Indian territory is under Chinese occupation since May 2014, how many security personnel lost their lives due to Chinese incursions or face-offs, how many rounds of talks were held with China, what is the status and scope of the negotiations, who is responsible for the loss of 20 Indian personnel in recent face-off, why Indian soldiers did not open fire when their commanding officer was killed by Chinese troops, what were the intelligence inputs about Chinese movements that were ignored by the government and has China communicated that India violated the bilateral agreements by altering the constitutional status of Ladakh by making it a Union Territory, he said.

Owaisi also demanded that the Parliament be convened at the earliest so that opposition parties may seek accountability from the ruling party and the government is bound to answer queries of representatives regarding occupation of Indian territory.

The AIMIM chief voiced his disappointment over not being invited to the all-party meeting.

"At a time when national consensus and a unified response is essential, it is unfortunate that AIMIM was not invited to the meeting. The criteria of the invitees betrays any rational explanation. It is absurd to limit the invitee political parties only to those with over 5 Lok Sabha MPs, parties with Union Cabinet Ministers and recognized national parties. The situation required the government to include every political party with a MP," the MP wrote.

Owaisi said AIMIM may be a small political party but as its president he was one the first few MPs to have raised the issue of Chinese occupation of Indian territory since the past five weeks.

"Incursions by a foreign military and occupation of our territory is a national challenge and it can be overcome only when all political parties are taken into confidence," he added.