The Killing of Osama bin-Laden:

Reactions from India

1. Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister Government of India, New Delhi, 2 May 2011

I welcome it as a significant step forward and hope that it will deal a decisive blow to Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups. The international community and Pakistan in particular must work comprehensively to end the activities of all such groups who threaten civilized behaviour and kill innocent men, women and children.

Source: Press Information Bureau, New Delhi,

2. Statement by S. M. Krishna, External Affairs Minister Government of India, on death of Osama, New Delhi, 2 May 2011

President Obama of the United States has just announced that his government has conducted a successful operation that has resulted in the death of Osama bin-Laden deep inside Pakistan. This operation brings to closure an almost decade-long search for the head of the Al Qaeda. It is a historic development and victorious milestone in the global war against the forces of terrorism. Over the years, thousands of innocent lives of men, women and children have been tragically lost at the hands of terrorist groups. The world must not let down its united effort to overcome terrorism and eliminate the safe havens and sanctuaries that have been provided to terrorists in our own neighbourhood. The struggle must continue unabated.

Source: Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi,

3. P Chidambaram, Home Minister Government of India, New Delhi, 3 May 2011

Earlier today the United States Government informed the Government of India that Osama Bin Laden had been killed by security forces somewhere “deep inside Pakistan.” After the September 11, 2001 terror attack, the US had reason to seek Osama Bin Laden and bring him and his accomplices to justice.

 

We take note with grave concern that part of the statement in which President Obama said that the fire fight in which Osama Bin Laden was killed took place in Abbotabad “deep inside Pakistan”. This fact underlines our concern that terrorists belonging to different organisations find sanctuary in Pakistan. We believe that the perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attack, including the controllers and handlers of the terrorists who actually carried out the attack, continue to be sheltered in Pakistan. We once again call upon the Government of Pakistan to arrest the persons whose names have been handed over to the Interior Minister of Pakistan as well as provide voice samples of certain persons who are suspected to be among the controllers and handlers of the terrorists.

Source: PIB, New Delhi,

4. Nitin Gadkari, President Bharatiya Janata Party, Jaipur, 2 May 2011

…The US did not forget the incident of 9/11 and finally killed the terrorist Osama bin-Laden who was hiding in Pakistan but what happened to our government which is not executing the death punishment of Afzal Guru, who was convicted of conspiracy in the attack on the Indian Parliament…

Source: Daily News and Analysis,

5. RR Patil, National Congress Party (NCP) leader and Home Minister Government of Maharashtra, Mumbai, 2 May 2011

…The roots of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, as investigated by police, are with Pakistan and ISI. The killing of Laden has proved the terror links with Pakistan…

Source: Daily News and Analysis,

6. Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Chairman Hurriyat Conference (G),  Srinagar, 3 May 2011

 ..Osama has died a martyr. He fought US and its imperialistic designs," Geelani told The Indian Express. “But his martyrdom won't end the resistance against the US in Afghanistan and elsewhere in the Muslim world. … The US policies are against Muslim Ummah. We condemned 9/11 attacks as they were terrorist acts. But ever since, US has massacred lakhs ( One lakh =100,000) of Muslims in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and now Libya…

Source: The India Express,

7. Digvijay Singh, General Secretary All India Congress Committee, New Delhi 3 May 2011

 

…However big a criminal one might be, his religious traditions should be respected while burying him…Only America and Pakistan can say what had happened…

Source: The Times of India,

8. (Community Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) Press Statement on the Killing of Osama Bin Laden, New Delhi, 3 May 2011

 

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement:

                                                                                         

Osama Bin Laden has been killed in Pakistan by the US Special Forces. This, however, does not mean an end to the problem of terrorism, which has many dimensions.

 

The death of Osama Bin Laden, while being a setback for the Al Qaeda, will not result in an end to the extremist violence spawned by fundamentalism. At the same time, the methods used by the United States to fight the so-called global “war on terror”, has only worsened the situation. In the name of fighting the Al Qaeda, the US devastated Afghanistan and Iraq. Tens of thousands of people lost their lives in these wars of aggression.

 

The fact that Bin Laden could live in Pakistan for so many years points to the linkage between the security establishment and some of the extremist groups operating there. The US had enlisted Pakistan to fight the Afghanistan government backed by the Soviet Union in the 1980s. The Pentagon and CIA had equipped and financed through the ISI, people like Osama, thus fuelling the later day Taliban and Jehadi fundamentalists.

 

The recent military intervention in Libya and the continuing war in Afghanistan, show that the United States has learnt no lessons from the past. State terrorism and fundamentalist terrorism feed each other. Unless the United States changes its approach of resorting to military force and state terrorism, the problem of terrorism cannot be tackled successfully.

 

 

 

9. M. Karunanidhi, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Chennai,  3 May  2011

 

..His teacher had taught him that history is written with nothing other than blood; that fame is built on skulls and only dead bodies and skeletons formed the base of honour and pride. He accepted this in toto and took to extremism as a tool to establish it during his lifetime... Bin Laden's end proves the saying that one who takes to violence will die by violent means…

Source: NDTV,

10. Khalid Rasheed Firangi Mahali, Sunni Cleric, Lucknow, 3 May 2011

 

..With Osama's death, the face of terrorism has gone. His killing has made everybody heave a sigh of relief. And family members of those who got killed in terror attacks have got justice," said Sunni cleric...International community must come forward and lend support to India in its fight against terrorism…

 

11. Kalbe Jawwad, Shia Cleric, Lucknow, 3 May 2011

 

…America se dosti ka kya anjaam hota hai, yeh aaj dekhne ko mila. Unhone hi Osama banaya tha, unhone hi mita diya. Hindustan ko is baat se sabak lena chahiye (One now knows the repercussion of being a friend of America. They created Osama and they have eliminated him. India must learn lessons from this)…

 

12. Kalbe Sadiq, Shia Cleric, Lucknow, 3 May 2011

 

..He was just one of the terrorists. There are many more to be eliminated. And some big players are yet to be exposed…

 

 

 

 

13. Maulana Yasoob Abbas, Shia Cleric, Lucknow, 3 May 2011

 

…Osama was against Islam and humanity in general. His acts had made Muslims all over the world suffer, besides earning a bad name to peace-loving religion of Islam,...Elections are approaching the US and there could be political reasons behind the incident. But, if political action does some good to humanity, I think we should ignore it(the politics)…

 

 

 

Compiled By Anjani Kumar Singh

 

As part of its editorial policy, the MEI@ND standardizes spelling and date formats to make the text uniformly accessible and stylistically consistent. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views/positions of the MEI@ND. Editor, MEI@ND: P R Kumaraswamy