— PM fears ‘worst-ever human tragedy’ in IoK
DM Monitoring
NEW YORK: Prime Minister Imran Khan has said he would appeal to the United Nations for help as India’s military clampdown in occupied Kashmir enters its seventh week.
In a meeting with editors of The New York Times, PM Imran who is in US to attend the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly said, “They do not understand that this can go horribly wrong.”
“If the UN doesn’t speak about it, who is going to speak about it?” PM Imran said.
Occupied Kashmir has been under lockdown since August 5, after New Delhi decided to revoke the special status of the valley. In the past two months, Indian forces have rounded up at least 2,000 Kashmiris, including elected representatives.
PM Imran said India was behaving irrationally — and against its own longer-term interests.
“Arrogance,” he said, “stops people from being rational.”
The prime minister said he would ask the United Nations to step in, warning that it was too risky to allow tensions to escalate between India and Pakistan, both of which have nuclear weapons.
“This is the UN’s job,” he said, adding, “They have to intervene, send observers there.”
The prime minister further said he feared the moment the curfew is lifted, widespread violence would break out. “This is very dangerous,” he said, “because people don’t realise where it’s headed. It’s going to be a massacre, the moment they lift the curfew.”
He added he was not optimistic that he would accomplish anything in his speech to the United Nations, at least not in the near term.
“But at least the world will be aware,” he said. “Because I fear an impending genocide.”
Separately in an interview with Wall Street Journal (WSJ), PM Imran said Pakistan wanted to lift its people out of poverty and focus on building a peaceful neighbourhood but the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)-backed Narendra Modi government was following an agenda rooted in racial supremacy.
“Racism is often rooted in arrogance and arrogance can lead people to make huge blunders. That’s what Modi has done in occupied Kashmir,” he said while speaking to the editorial board of WSJ.
“I have come to New York especially for Kashmir. Everything else is secondary. The world doesn’t realise that we are heading for a big disaster,” PM Imran added.
India’s repressive and illegal actions in occupied Kashmir would not only have repercussions for the region but for the entire Muslim world, the prime minister added.
Agencies add: Pakistan fears the “worst-ever human tragedy” will be witnessed in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) as New Delhi pursues its nefarious agenda of changing the occupied region’s demography.
This was stated by Prime Minister Imran Khan during a meeting with Human Rights Watch (HRW) Executive Director Kenneth Roth on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly session in New York.
PM Imran apprised the director about India’s brutalities against the people of occupied Kashmir and said the world must act to end the ceaseless human rights violations in IOK.
He briefed the HRW official on India’s plan to change the demography of occupied Kashmir and said more than 15,000 Kashmiris have been arrested by Indian forces.
In a separate meeting with the editorial board of the Wall Street Journal, PM Imran said Pakistan wants to focus on developing itself and lifting its people out of poverty but the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)-backed Modi government was following an agenda rooted in racial supremacy.
The premier said racism is often rooted in arrogance and arrogance can lead to people making mistakes – referring to Modi’s decision to revoke the special status of IOK.
He said that India’s illegal annexation of the occupied valley will affect the entire world, particularly the Muslim community, adding that the international community does not realise the severity of the situation.
The premier reiterated his support for peace talks between the Afghan Taliban and the United States to resume.
“The world should not fear that a peace deal in Afghanistan would take us back to 2001. Peace is the most important goal and we should all pursue it,” he said.
PM Imran also met his Norwegian counterpart on the sidelines of the UNGA and discussed matters of mutual interest, including bilateral, regional and multilateral issues.
The premier briefed Prime Minister Erna Solberg about the brutalities faced by the people of Kashmir.
He warned the prime minister of New Delhi’s attempt to stage a false flag operation to further escalate tensions, while rubbishing Indian claims that terrorists from Afghanistan have entered IOK and India’s southern regions.
He urged the international community to take a stand against the Indian armed forces to alleviate the suffering of the Kashmiri people and to resolve the Kashmir dispute peacefully.
The two leaders also discussed the Afghanistan issue and the desire to strengthen bilateral and investment ties.
