Ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha elections, PM Narendra Modi received support from none other than Imran Khan, the PM of Pakistan. Khan had said that both the countries will have a better chance of settling the Kashmir dispute if Modi-led BJP government comes to power.
The cricketer-turned-politician further said that if the Congress comes to power at the Centre then it might not start a dialogue with Pakistan on Kashmir as it will be scared of the opposition.
“Perhaps if the BJP – a right-wing party – wins, some kind of settlement in Kashmir could be reached,” Khan was quoted by Reuters as saying.
Khan further said that he seeks a meaningful dialogue on Kashmir issue with the BJP if it comes to power despite the fact that Muslims were facing continuous attack under Modi rule.
Muslim-ness is under attack, said Khan and added that he had never expected to witness something like this. Citing his Indian Muslim friends he said they were happy about their situation in India but they are now worried due to the rise of extreme Hindu Nationalism.
Drawing a parallel between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Modi he said that their campaign and rallies were based on “fear and nationalist feeling”.
Speaking on the BJP manifesto which talked about removing Article 370 and 35A from Jammu and Kashmir Khan called it a major concern but said that it might be a poll stunt.
After the interview was out, former J&K CM Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti took a jibe at the Modi government.
On terrorism, the Pakistani PM said that his country is fully committed to dismantling all terror networks and militias in the country with the full support of the military establishment and added that this will also apply to groups involved in Kashmir.
Terming Kashmir a “political struggle” Khan said that this dispute cannot be resolved through military solutions. He further accepted that Kashmiris are the ones who suffer the most if terrorists from Pakistan enter the Valley leading to crackdown by the Indian Army.
India and Pakistan have fought three wars over Kashmir after gaining independence from Britain in 1947 and bilateral ties between the nuclear-armed neighbours reached a boiling point in February this year after 40 CRPF jawans were killed in suicide bombing in Kashmir’s Pulwama.
While Islamabad denied its role in the ghastly February 14 attack, Pakistan-based terrorist outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed claimed responsibility for the same. The bombing led to IAF airstrikes in Pakistan’s Balakot and the Indian government claimed that over 300 terrorists died in the airstrikes.
Later, Pakistan carried out air strikes on Army HQ in J&K but no casualties were reported.
The airstrikes gave a big boost to PM Modi’s re-election bid.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi claimed that they had reliable intelligence indicating that India will launch another attack on Pakistan this month, a claim categorically rejected by the MEA.
India’s great game of democracy will start on April 11 and the polls will be held in phases with results on May 23.
Agencies
