Citing US Action Against Venezuela, Owaisi Urges PM Modi to Bring 26/11 Masterminds From Pakistan

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Sunday cited the example of the US military’s air strikes on Venezuela and the capture of President Nicolas Maduro to urge Prime Minister Narendra Modi to bring the masterminds of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks from Pakistan to India.

“If US President Donald Trump can abduct Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro from his own country, then you (Prime Minister Modi) can also go to Pakistan and bring back the mastermind of the 26/11 terrorist attacks to India,” Owaisi said. He also referred to Saudi Arabia’s military action against separatist camps in Yemen to underline his point.

Owaisi’s remarks came a day after the US military carried out overnight operations in Venezuela, capturing President Maduro and his wife. The couple was flown to New York, where they are likely to be held in federal custody and face criminal charges linked to a US Justice Department indictment accusing them of involvement in a narco-terrorism conspiracy.

“We are telling you, Modiji, you can also go into Pakistan and bring back those cruel people who hatched conspiracies against Mumbai—be it Masood Azhar or the ruthless operatives of Lashkar-e-Taiba,” Owaisi said.

Owaisi was referring to the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, when 10 terrorists from Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba carried out 12 coordinated attacks across Mumbai between November 26 and 29. The attacks left at least 170 people dead and over 300 injured, making it one of the deadliest terror strikes in India’s history.

The 26/11 attacks have remained a major political flashpoint between the ruling NDA and the opposition Congress, which was in power at the time. The BJP has repeatedly accused the Congress of adopting a soft approach towards Pakistan in the aftermath of the attacks.

In September 2025, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram claimed that India had been prepared to retaliate against Pakistan following the Mumbai attacks but refrained due to international pressure.

According to Chidambaram, then prime minister Manmohan Singh discussed possible retaliation even as the attacks were ongoing. However, the UPA government was advised by the foreign ministry and diplomats not to respond militarily, he said.