Imran firm on offer to India

ISLAMABAD: Responding to his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi’s comments which he passed while addressing a rally in Rajasthan on Saturday, Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday reminded him that he stood by his words that if India gave Pakistan actionable intelligence about the Pulwama suicide bombing, action will be taken immediately.

Modi recalled the phone call he made to PM Imran to congratulate him on winning the elections last year. “I told him there have been plenty of fights between Pakistan and India…I told him let’s fight against poverty and illiteracy. He (Imran) told me, Modi Ji, I am the son of a Pathan. I speak true and I do true. Today the time has come for him to stand true to his words and I will see whether he stands true to his words or not.”

PM Khan reminded Modi of his December 2015 meeting in New Delhi where they had agreed that “since poverty alleviation was a priority for our region, we would not allow any terrorist incident to derail peace efforts; however, long before Pulwama, these efforts were derailed in September 2018.”

Imran offered India last week that if it shared with Pakistan actionable intelligence about the Pulwama suicide bombing, he would take an action against the perpetrator as such person was an enemy of Pakistan.

“Sadly, now peace remains elusive due to elections in India,” Prime Minster Khan regretted. He concluded with his remarks, “PM Modi should give peace a chance.”

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Sunday reached out to India proposing solution of issues through dialogue and engagement. He also advised New Delhi to exercise restraint and shun its war mongering and aggressive posturing.

He also drew the world capitals’ attention to the situation urging that India be counselled to refrain from further escalation.

Postponing his four-day official visit to Japan, Qureshi spent a busy day at the Foreign Office on Sunday, first brainstorming with former foreign secretaries and envoys and later holding a media conference in the wake of the situation building up after the Pulwama suicide bombing. “These consultations were held to discuss the hostile ambitions of India and the deteriorating situation in Kashmir. Consultations with former diplomats were held in order to get their input so that a comprehensive and effective response could be devised to tackle the emerging developments,” Qureshi told the media.

Reading from a written statement, he urged the world capitals to take notice of the situation and counsel India to refrain from further escalation, defuse current tensions and resolve issues through dialogue and engagement.

“The large-scale deployment of additional para-military forces, and orders by the local administration to hospitals and about sale of fuel and food grains, are contributing to an atmosphere of extreme intimidation and fear. Immediate steps are required to reverse this frenzy and restore calm,” he cautioned.

“Following reprisal attacks against Kashmiris in the Indian Held Kashmir and many parts of India after the Pulwama attack, there have been further heavy-handed steps including enhanced use of force, large-scale arrests, and incarceration of senior Kashmiri leaders”, he said. He expressed his dismay over the Indian government’s high-handedness stirred by a belligerent attitude.

“Pakistan had been talking about de-escalation to defuse tensions, but on the other hand, the Indian government is whipping up tensions by issuing notifications regarding leaves cancellation of its medical professionals and ensuring supply of grains to the people to store it”, he said.

The foreign minister pointed to the additional troops which were being sent to the IHK, which clearly indicated Indian aggression and demanded of the Indian government and prime minister to immediately stop their irresponsible attitude, besides halting the senseless carnage of the Kashmiri people.

He pointed to the environment of fear and insecurity in Kashmir while stressing that the new generation of Kashmir was bent upon attaining freedom from the Indian occupation. He said dozens of arrests had been made in the IHK and all the Hurriyat leaders put under arrest after the Pulwama incident.

The Hurriyat leaders were being forced to leave Kashmir, he regretted and said politicians like Mehbooba Mufti, who had a soft corner for New Delhi, were also now raising their voice against the Indian atrocities, telling India that it cannot eliminate the ideology or enthusiasm of Kashmiris through arrests. The foreign minister also urged Indian intellectuals to appeal to their government to show restraint.

Later in a statement, the Foreign Office noted that the Supreme Court of India was due to deliberate, shortly, on the petitions calling for scrapping of Article 35A of the Indian Constitution. “Pakistan condemns any such attempts, as these are clearly aimed at bringing about demographic changes in the Indian Held Kashmir. Any move in this direction would be a blatant violation of international law and the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions, which prohibit introducing material changes to the disputed territory,” said the statement.