Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry on Sunday said that while war was not a choice Islamabad would willingly make, Pakistan was ready to retaliate if it is imposed.
Talking to reporters in Lahore, Fawad said that Pakistan had made all efforts to take relations with India towards normalisation but they had not been reciprocated.
Recalling that Prime Minister Imran Khan had once promised that Pakistan would take two steps towards peace if India took one, Fawad warned, “We have stated that if you [India] work towards peace, we will reciprocate. But if you want to wage [a] war, we will fight back till the end.”
At the Kartarpur Corridor ground-breaking ceremony, the premier had said that one is supposed to learn from history, not live in it, Fawad recalled.
When asked about the role of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Muslim bloc in the Kashmir dispute, Fawad said, “There is no Muslim bloc now. […] All Muslim countries are embroiled in conflict. [Of the] countries that are stable, Turkey is standing by us; the rest will take decisions according to their own interests. No doubt, there is disappointment in Pakistan over the award recently conferred upon [Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi] by the UAE. We consider UAE as a friend to Pakistan and it must not be forgotten that Pakistan had a huge role in making Dubai what it is today.”
He further said that the Kashmir dispute was not Pakistan’s problem but a global human rights issue. “What good is the leadership of a Muslim leader who does not stand by his Muslim brother despite visible cruelty and injustice?”
The minister also said that despite imposing a lockdown in Indian-held Kashmir (IHK), Modi had been “trapped”.
Minister says Imran Khan has the ability to put forward Pakistan’s stance that many of the past leaders lacked
“Why do they [the Indian government] panic when President Trump, France or Britain speak about [the Kashmir dispute]? Because Modi does not want any international leader to discuss the Kashmir issue. When the international leadership discusses this issue, the UNHCR report on Kashmir – which details what they [Indian forces] have done over there – will also come to light,” he said.
“Why have they turned Kashmir into a jail: so that the outside world is not able to know about the situation there. Yet, after a long time, you can see what the New York Times, BBC and the rest of the international media are writing about Kashmir,” he added.
Fawad said that India’s narrative of the Kashmir dispute being an internal matter was defeated when the United Nations Security Council called a session to discuss the issue.
He said that Prime Minister Imran Khan’s upcoming address at the UN session would be an important one, and added, “Whether you support him or not, no one can deny that Prime Minister Imran has the ability to put forward Pakistan’s stance that many of our past leaders lacked.”
Tensions between Pakistan and India are high since last month, when Inter-Services Public Relations said that Indian forces had used cluster munitions to target the civilian population in Azad Jammu and Kashmir from across the Line of Control; in violation of the Geneva Convention and international laws.
Relations worsened when New Delhi repealed Article 370 of the Indian constitution, stripping IHK of its special status.
