ISLAMABAD: With Pakistan failing to get traction for its belligerent stand on Kashmir, Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Monday that he will raise the issue at every international forum, including at the UN General Assembly. Khan’s address to the nation came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his meeting with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in France on Monday, categorically rejected any scope for third party mediation between India and Pakistan on Kashmir.
Prime Minister Khan assured the people of Pakistan that his government will stand by the Kashmiris till India lifts the restrictions in the Valley. Outlining his government’s future strategy on Kashmir, Khan said: “First, I believe, the entire nation should stand with the Kashmiri nation. I have said this that I will act as Kashmir’s ambassador”.
“I will tell the world about this, I have shared this with the heads of state that I have been in contact with. I will raise this issue at the UN as well,” he said, referring to his scheduled address to the UN General Assembly next month. Khan said he would highlight the Kashmir issue at the UN General assembly.
“I read in the newspapers that people are disappointed that Muslim countries are not siding with Kashmir. I want to tell you not to be disappointed; if some countries are not raising this issue because of their economic interests, they will eventually take this issue up. They will have to, with time,” he said.
Khan claimed that Prime Minister Modi had made a “historic blunder” by revoking Kashmir’s special autonomy. “This is the UN’s responsibility, they promised the people of Kashmir that they would protect them. Historically, the world bodies have always sided with the powerful but the UN should know that 1.25 billion Muslims are looking towards it,” he said.
Pakistan has won the first round of diplomatic battle as it put Kashmir on the world radar, Khan claimed, referring to the recent UNSC “closed consultations” on Kashmir which happened for the first time in nearly five decades. The Prime Minister also urged the people of Pakistan to hold weekly protests to support the Kashmiris.
Prime Minister Khan once again raised the nuclear capabilities of the neighbours, saying there are no winners in a nuclear war. “Will these big countries keep looking at their economic interests only? They should remember, both countries have nuclear weapons,” Khan said. “In a nuclear war, no one will win. It will not only wreak havoc in this region, but the entire world will face consequences. It is now up to the international community,” he said.
The External Affairs Ministry said last month that from their (Pakistan) side, they would like to project a panic situation. “The international community does not think there is a war-like situation. It is a ploy to deflect attention…It is time for Pakistan to see a new reality and stop interfering in internal matters of India,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar had said.
Prime Minister Khan also claimed that India was planning a “false-flag operation” like the one carried out after the Pulwama attack. “We received information that they were planning a false-flag operation like what they did in Balakot to divert attention from Kashmir,” he said. Khan also mentioned his peace overtures towards India after coming to power but said India rejected those as it was following a different agenda.
“After the elections (in India), we realised they had a different agenda and they tried to blacklist Pakistan at the Financial Action Task Force (FATF),” he said. Tensions between India and Pakistan spiked after India abrogated provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution, evoking strong reactions from Pakistan. India has categorically told the international community that the scrapping of Article 370 was an internal matter and also advised Pakistan to accept the reality.
During Modi’s bilateral meeting with US President Trump, the Prime Minister categorically rejected any scope for third party mediation between India and Pakistan on Kashmir, saying the two countries can discuss and resolve all issues bilaterally and “we don’t want to trouble any third country.” On his part, Trump said he and Modi spoke about Kashmir “at great length” on Sunday night and he feels that both India and Pakistan can resolve it on their own. “We spoke last night about Kashmir, the Prime Minister really feels he has it (situation) under control. They speak with Pakistan and I’m sure that they will be able to do something that will be very good,” Trump said. PTI
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