- Imran Khan points out Modi’s war-mongering, dangerous ambitions.
- Former prime minister says New Delhi threatens regional peace.
- He reaffirms support for Kashmiris’ right to self-determination.
KARACHI: Incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan has said that though the country faced division on some issues, it stood united firmly against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s aggression and war-mongering against Pakistan, The News reported on Wednesday.
“While we reject this fake regime, we stand firmly as one Pakistani nation and strongly condemn Modi’s war-mongering and his dangerous ambitions that threaten regional peace”, Khan said while speaking to the lawyers at Rawalpindi’s Adial jail as per a post on his X account.
The former prime minister’s remarks come against the backdrop of simmering tensions between the two nuclear army neighbours following the attack on tourists in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir’s (IIOJK) Pahalgam which led to the deaths of over two dozen tourists.
Since then, New Delhi has not only downgraded its diplomatic ties with Islamabad, but has also suspended the Indus Waters Treaty with PM Modi vowing to punish those responsible.
India blames Pakistan for the attack, a claim that Islamabad vehemently denied and also termed as a “false flag operation” and has further offered a credible, transparent, and independent investigation by a neutral commission of experts to ascertain the truth.
Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar has warned that there’s credible intelligence that India intends to carry out military action against Pakistan in the next 24 to 36 hours on the pretext of baseless and concocted allegations of involvement in the Pahalgam incident.
However, Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar Pakistan would not make first strike but it would respond forcefully to any aggression by India.
Echoing Dar’s remarks, a senior security source has said that Pakistan’s military anticipates the possibility of a misadventure by India but is prepared to respond with force “a notch above”.
Speaking to the publication on condition of anonymity, the source — who holds a key position — assured that any Indian aggression would be met with a “very strong response”. The source said the armed forces are on high alert and fully prepared to counter any cross-border challenge.
This level of preparedness has instilled confidence among the prime minister, cabinet members, and politicians across the political spectrum which shows Pakistan’s military is fully capable of giving a befitting response to war-mongering India.
Expanding on the heightened tensions, Khan — who was the country’s PM during Pakistan’s retaliatory action via Operation Swift Retort against Indian airstrikes following the Pulwama attack in IIOJK — extended his condolences to the Pahalgam incident’s victims and their families, and said instead of introspection and investigation, Modi government is again placing the blame on Pakistan.
“When the False Flag Palwama Operation incident happened, we offered to extend all-out cooperation to India but India failed to produce any concrete evidence. As I predicted in 2019, the same is happening again after the Pahlgam incident,” the PTI founder remarked.
“Instead of introspection and investigation, Modi Sarkar is again placing the blame on Pakistan,” he added.
Reaffirming his support for the Kashmiris, Khan said that he always emphasised the importance of the Kashmiris’ right to self-determination, as guaranteed by United Nations resolutions.
“I have also been highlighting the fact that India led by RSS ideology is a grave threat, not only to the region but beyond it. Indian oppression in Kashmir, intensified after the illegal abrogation of Article 370, has further fuelled the Kashmiri people’s desire for freedom,” he noted.
