Nupur Sharma comment row: After Al-Qaeda, Islamic State wing threatens attack on India

Pic courtesy: PTI

New Delhi: A new development comes in the Nupur Sharma controversy with the Islamic State now joining the Prophet controversy. The Islamic State Khorasan Province, an affiliate of the terror outfit Islamic State released a video, focusing on India and alleged blasphemy issues involving Nupur Sharma. The Islamic State Khurasan Province (ISKP) has begun a news bulletin service through its mouthpiece AlAzaim foundation. The first news bulletin is focused on India and the issue of blasphemy. According to the independent news handle Khorasan Diary on Twitter, the video first features BJP's suspended leader Nupur Sharma and houses of Muslims bulldozed. It then features previous statements of ISKP suicide bombers who were Indian, threatening to conduct attacks against India wherever possible. In the news bulletin, the terror outfit threatens to target Hindus to take revenge for Prophet's insult.

The video then shifts to criticising the Taliban in Afghanistan, particularly defence minister Mullah Yaqoob for his interview with an Indian news TV channel and finance minister Amir Muttaqi over his meeting with the Indian charge d’ affairs in Afghanistan for trying to establish diplomatic relations with India. The tweet further reads, "It then features Narendra Modi and the attacks on Sikhs in Afghanistan followed by animations of a suicide bombing. Ending with a message to conduct attacks very soon. (sic)."

Earlier, terrorist organisation Al-Qaeda in the Subcontinent (AQIS) had threatened suicide attacks in Delhi, Mumbai, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh to "fight for the dignity of Prophet". In a statement dated June 6, 2022, the terror outfit has said that the "saffron terrorists should now await their end in Delhi and Bombay and in UP and Gujarat".  "The offenders of the Prophet Muhammad, the pride of humanity, shall find no amnesty or clemency, no peace and security will save them and this matter will not close with any words of condemnation of sorrow," the threat letter read.

The BJP had suspended Nupur Sharma and expelled its Delhi unit media head Naveen Kumar Jindal as the row over their alleged derogatory remarks against Prophet Muhammad escalated with protests from several Muslim countries. After the action, Sharma unconditionally withdrew her controversial statement and claimed that her comments were a reaction to "continuous insult and disrespect towards our Mahadev (Lord Shiva)", referring to the Gyanvap mosque row. Sharma's comments, made during a TV debate a few days back, and Jindal's now-deleted tweets, have sparked nationwide protests.