Prime Minister Imran Khan, while calling India’s move to end special status of occupied Jammu and Kashmir a ‘historic blunder’, has said it will give a new impetus to the indigenous freedom struggle.
Talking to senior journalists here at the PM Office on Thursday, Imran Khan said Pakistan fears that after lifting of curfew, situation in the occupied valley can rapidly deteriorate and there might be a false flag operation to blame Pakistan. “The whole world is waiting to see what happens to oppressed Kashmiris in IHK when curfew is lifted. Does the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) government think that by using greater military force against Kashmiris in IHK, it can stop the freedom movement? Chances are it will gain momentum,” he said in a tweet posted after meeting the journalists.
Imran Khan asked the international community to play its part in addressing the situation and help avert the ‘genocide of the Kashmiris’. “What should be obvious is the int(ernational) community will be witnessing the genocide of the Kashmiris in IOK. Question is: Will we watch another appeasement of fascism, this time in the garb of BJP government, or will the int community have the moral courage to stop this from happening?,” the prime minister posted on his Twitter handle.
The prime minister said he believes that the situation in the occupied valley is the outcome of pursuing the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sang) ideology of ‘Hindu supremacy’ which believes that the Christians and Muslims are invaders. He said it has proved the vision of Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah who believed in the two-nation theory.
Imran Khan said Pakistan will exploit all options including approaching the international forums like the United Nations General Assembly, United Nations Security Council and International Court of Justice. The government is also taking up the issue with all the world capitals, he added.
Imran Khan said even the Indian media and its political leaders are voicing their concerns and describing it as a ‘historic mistake’. He said the issue cannot be resolved through war as both the countries are nuclear-armed. Once a war started, it will be beyond anyone’s control, he added.
He said an attempt to change the demographics of the occupied valley was a violation of the Article 49 of the Geneva Convention. He said the United Nations is also fully aware of the human rights violations in the occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday reconstituted the high-powered committee on Kashmir formed to give proposals to formulate political, legal and diplomatic options on the latest developments regarding the occupied valley.
According to the official notification, Ahmar Bilal Sufi has been removed from the new committee that now consists of 11 members. A representative of Azad Jammu Kashmir has been added to the committee while Law Minister Farogh Nasim, Special Assistant to PM on Information Firdous Ashiq Awan and Parliamentary Committee on Kashmir Chairperson MNA Fakhar Imam have also been included in the list.
The prime minister had formed the committee on August 6 after New Delhi stripped IHK of its special status by abrogating Article 370. It initially comprised seven members and was tasked to develop a political, diplomatic and legal framework on which the government could proceed on the longstanding issue with the Narendra Modi-led government. The committee still includes the foreign minister, attorney general, foreign secretary, and DG ISPR, among others.
