Owaisi criticises US trade tariffs on India, opposes cricketing ties with Pakistan

Hyderabad parliamentarian Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday said that U.S. President Donald Trump would have to decide whether his country would trade with India, its strategic partner, or Pakistan, a country that ‘trades in terror’.

Mr. Owaisi, who is the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen president, was interacting with the media at the party headquarters in Darussalaam.

“The U.S. President should understand that India–U.S. bilateral trade is worth over $200 billion, while U.S.–Pakistan trade is just $5 billion. The new agreement will increase our [bilateral] trade to $500 billion. The U.S. President has to decide if he wants to trade with a country where terrorism is trade, or with India, where successive governments over the past two decades have deepened strategic ties between the the two countries,” Mr. Owaisi said.

The Hyderabad MP also criticised the trade tariffs which the U.S. imposed on India and said that these would affect the textile industry in Tamil Nadu, and the gems and diamond industry of Surat.

Mr. Owaisi reiterated his opposition to cricketing ties with Pakistan given threats from that country’s military leadership, including those nuclear in nature. “My heart and conscience do not permit it,” he said, adding that when the Wagah border has been closed, and visas were not being issued, why must a cricket match take place.

He hoped that the Narendra Modi government would summon the US envoy in India and lodge their protest against Pakistan army chief Asim Munir’s comments against India made on US soil.

In a separate development, Mr. Owaisi inaugurated projects whose funds would be drawn from MPLADS. These include two modern gyms at the Sports Complex in Chandulal Baradari, and Manju Miyan Tabela Community Hall in Dabeerpura, a new Anganwadi building and toilet block at Government High School, Azampura-II, a new building for Government Boys High School building (Urdu Medium) for Classes VI to X at Moghalpura, and a new library building at Moghalpura Division.