Islamabad | Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has warned that world’s inaction over the Kashmir issue will lead to direct military confrontation.
Writing a piece for the NewYorkTimes, he said that the world cannot ignore Kashmir.
“If the world does nothing to stop the Indian assault on Kashmir and its people, two nuclear-armed states will get ever closer to a direct military confrontation,” Imran Khan wrote.
Tension between India and Pakistan escalated after India abrogated Article 370 of the Indian Constitution to revoke Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and bifurcated it into two Union Territories (UTs).
Imran Khan, on India’s move to scrap Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, said, “On August 5, in its most brazen and egregious move, Modi’s government altered the status of Indian-occupied Kashmir through the revocation of Article 370 and 35A of the Indian Constitution. The move is illegal under the Constitution of India, but more important, it is a violation of the United Nations Security Council [UNSC] resolutions on Kashmir and the Shimla Agreement between India and Pakistan.”
Imran Khan, writing on cutting off communication in Jammu and Kashmir the scrapping, said, “And Modi’s ‘New India’ chose to do this by imposing a military curfew in Kashmir, imprisoning its population in their homes and cutting off their phone, internet and television connections, rendering them without news of the world or their loved ones. The siege was followed by a purge: Thousands of Kashmiris have been arrested and thrown into prisons across India. A blood bath is feared in Kashmir when the curfew is lifted. Already, Kashmiris coming out in defiance of the curfew are being shot and killed.”
Soon after Centre had revoked Article 370, they had imposed heavy restrictions in the state, and cut off all the communication lines, as a “‘precautionary measure”. Most of the restrictions have been lifted now, however, some sensitive areas still remain under lockdown.
Imran Khan in his opinion article in The New York Times said that the dialogue between India and Pakistan has to involve Kashmiris.
“With the nuclear shadow hovering over South Asia, we realise that Pakistan and India have to move out of a zero-sum mind-set to begin dialogue on Kashmir, various strategic matters and trade. On Kashmir, the dialogue must include all stakeholders, especially the Kashmiris,” Imran Khan said.
Imran Khan, in his article, urged the international community to “think beyond trade and business advantages.”
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