Amid the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack, Karnataka Minister BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan has stirred controversy with his provocative statement, volunteering to fight Pakistan. Speaking to reporters, Khan expressed his readiness to take extreme measures if allowed by the central government.
The Karnataka minister made it clear that he is prepared to go to war with Pakistan, provided Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah give their approval. He declared, "We are Indians, we are Hindustanis. Pakistan never had any relations with us. Pakistan has always been our enemy...If Modi, Amit Shah and the Central government let me, I am ready to go to battle," Khan told reporters.
Further escalating the rhetoric, Khan made an even more controversial request. He called on the Prime Minister and Union Home Minister to provide him with a suicide bomb, stating, “I will go to Pakistan for war. Let PM Modi, Amit Shah give me a suicide bomb, I will tie it to me and go to Pakistan and then launch an attack."
Khan also condemned the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam, calling it a "heinous and inhuman act" against innocent civilians. He expressed deep anguish over the tragic loss of lives, including two victims from Karnataka, remarking, "It is a matter of great pain."
The Pahalgam terror attack occurred on April 22, when five to six terrorists killed 22 people, including a local pony guide, at Baisaran meadows near Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam. The terrorists specifically targeted non-Muslims and executed them. Out of the 26 people killed, 25 were tourists. Initially, the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba's (LeT) offshoot, The Resistance Front (TRF), claimed responsibility for the attack. However, the terror group later denied its involvement.
The attack led to a sharp deterioration in diplomatic ties between India and Pakistan. In response to the terror incident, India imposed a series of sanctions against Pakistan, including suspending the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960. Pakistan, in turn, called India's actions an "act of war."
