In usual rhetoric, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan once again raked up the Kashmir issue ahead of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) review this month on Pakistan’s performance on countering terrorist financing.
In an exclusive interview with Fareed Fareed Zakaria for CNN on Sunday, Imran Khan alleged “RSS ideology” for the stalled talks between India and Pakistan.
Zakaria asked Khan about the future of India- Pakistan relations – whether there was any prospect for a greater degree of peace, better relations, more trade, more tourism, all the kind of things that will lift the economies of both countries.
Replying to it, Khan said, “There is a tragedy that unfolded in India. The RSS ideology has taken over India. You can Google – Who were the founding fathers of RSS? The ideology that rules India now. Who were they inspired by? By the Nazis — this is what all– I am saying is — can easily be verified. It’s a racist ideology that has taken over India. Remember three times RSS was considered a terrorist organization, an ideology that assassinated the great Gandhi (Mahatma Gandhi). It’s very difficult to come to terms with this ideology.”
“I tried everything, made overtures, but unfortunately, how do you deal with it — an ideology based on hate, racial superiority, and hate for Muslims, minorities, Christians, and of course Pakistan,” he added.
However, while blaming India, he forgot the concept of an Islamic state that was used in 1978 by General Zia-Ul-Haq. Moreover, it has been the ploy of Pakistani rulers to use Kashmir as a usual trick to keep the real issue at bay.
“So we have not made any headways. My worry is — what is going on in India now — much, much more damaging for India — than for Pakistan. Our relationship has frozen and the India I knew — I think it’s of great concern,” said Khan.
Talking about Pakistan’s relations with India, PM Imran Khan said that he has many friends in India.
“I am probably one of those Pakistani who knows India and understands India much more than the rest of my own countrymen, probably all over the world. Because of my friendships in India, my relations with all sorts of, whether it is media or politicians. So the moment my government came to power, the first thing I did was to reach out to India. I said you come one step towards us we will go two towards you. There won’t be issues in Kashmir and we should solve it like good neighbours on the dialogue table.”
Meanwhile, when Zakaria asked about the volatility of relations between India and Pakistan – one terrorist attack, a miscalculation on the border could spiral out of control. Does that worry you.
Khan affirmed that he was worried about it and he raised the issue in his first speech at United Nations.
“Yes, in fact, in my first speech at United Nations, I raised this concern because what happened was that there was an attack in India. A Kashmiri youth blew himself up on an Indian military convoy and Pakistan was blamed (Pulwama attack). I immediately asked, if you have any evidence that Pakistan was involved, we will take action. But, rather than giving us any evidence they bombed us and so Pakistan also retaliated and their plane was shot down. We immediately returned the pilot just to tell them that we had no plans of escalation.”
40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawans were killed in the 2019 terror attack.
The attack on the CRPF convoy took place in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district on February 14, 2019. A 22-year-old suicide bomber Adil Ahmad Dar rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into the bus. The convoy had 78 buses in which around 2,500 personnel were travelling from Jammu to Srinagar.
Days later India carried out an airstrike on JeM’s Balakot terror training camp in Pakistan.
Indian Air Force ace pilot, Abhinandan Varthaman shot down a Pakistani F-16 fighter aircraft during aerial combat on February 27 a day after the Balakot airstrike.
In the process, he flew over Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, and his MiG-21 was hit and he had to eject over the territory controlled by the enemy.
He was then taken into custody by the Pakistan Army. The Pakistan Army was forced to release him due to the extensive pressure exerted by the Indian side along with international intervention into the matter.
“It could have easily escalated and therefore, I think — which is why when I met President Trump — I asked him — the most powerful country to solve this Kashmir issue because it has been festering. The world communities have pledged to the Kashmiris that they would be able to decide their own destiny and if this issue keeps continuing, there is always a chance that two nuclear powers could be confronting each other,” said Khan.