Prime Minister Imran Khan Tuesday warned India against any misadventure in the wake of Pulwama attack, saying Pakistan will not think but immediately retaliate.
In a televised address to the nation, Prime Minister Imran Khan reacted to the sabre-rattling, in particular by the Indian media, calling for a surgical strike against Pakistan. “If Indians believe that they can launch an attack on Pakistan, they should understand that Pakistan will not think to retaliate … it will retaliate immediately, as there is no other option,” he said. “We all know that it is easy to start a war, but very difficult to end. And we do not know where it will lead to,” he said, and expressed the hope that ‘better sense will prevail’.
“No law in the world allows anyone or a country to be the judge, jury and executioner and the same time,” the prime minister said, and offered the Indian government to fully cooperate in any kind of investigation it wanted into the Pulwama incident. He also asked for tangible, credible and intelligence-based evidences which should be shared, and expressed the resolve that Pakistan would take action. “If India offers any proof, Pakistan will cooperate,” he said.
The prime minister regretted Indian posture of preconditioning the Kashmir issue with talks over terrorism, and said that Pakistan was ready for a dialogue even on this issue as it was affecting the whole region. He said Pakistan has been the worst victim of curse of terrorism in the last 15 years.
Expressing his wonder over the swift and baseless Indian allegations in the aftermath of Pulwama incident, the prime minister questioned the Indian leadership as to what could be the advantages Pakistan hoped to get out of such an attack. He said Pakistan was going to achieve peace and stability after resolutely fighting terrorism in the last 15 years, with loss of 70,000 precious lives and 100 billion dollar in economic terms.
The prime minister explained that he did not immediately respond to the Indian accusations as they were focusing on a very significant visit by the Saudi crown prince. “If I had responded at that time, the attention would have been diverted from the significant visit by the royal dignitary of the brotherly country,” he said. “An idiot could think to do so to sabotage his visit. Why at this stage when Pakistan is going for peace and stability?” he asked.
The prime minister advised the Indian leadership to break the shackles of its past mantra and refrain from targeting Pakistan for every incident in the occupied valley. He said India should instead come forward to resolve the Kashmir issue though dialogue. “We are ready to talk to you,” he added.
He said a new government is functioning with new thoughts and vision in the ‘Naya Pakistan’. He reiterated that it is in Pakistan’s interest not to allow anyone to use its soil against anyone nor allow someone to carry out such activities on its soil from the outside. “If someone is doing it, he is doing enmity with Pakistan. If someone is using our soil, it is enmity with us. It is against our interests,” he added.
The prime minister reminded India to give new thinking and introspection to the grave situation in the occupied valley and ponder as to why Kashmiri youths had gone to such an extent by completely discarding fears of death. “Suppression of Kashmiris through use of military force and one-dimensional oppression will not succeed. How can you expect to resolve the issue in future when all such oppressive tactics and use of military force have failed so far,” he reminded the Indian government, and referred to the Afghan issue where the world had acknowledged to find out solution to the 17-year-long war through dialogue. “War is no solution to Kashmir issue as well. Why can this issue not be resolved through dialogue,” he asked.
The prime minister said they were hearing Indian leadership, politicians and media unleashing aggression against Pakistan in the aftermath of Pulwama incident, and noted that such war-mongering behavior was understandable due to the elections year in India as with Pakistan’s bashing, they would get boost in the election campaigns.
Published in Daily Times, February 20th 2019.
