Modi is trapped, Kashmir will be free soon: PM Imran

MUZAFFARABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan slammed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday, saying that he is "trapped" and that Kashmiris will be free soon from India's reign of terror.

"It looks as if all of you, from the inside, are feeling a bit like you have lost," he told parliamentarians at the Azad Kashmir Assembly after they made speeches before the prime minister. "I, on the other hand, believe that Kashmiris are going through an era [of suffering] which, God willing, will end in victory for them," he said.

PM Imran said that Modi had made a huge mistake on August 5 last year. He said that the Indian prime minister was afraid of revoking Article 370 of the Indian constitution earlier but after winning the elections by appeasing his extremist Hindutva base, Modi took the disastrous step. 

"His assumed that Pakistan would stay silent as we were trying for friendship [with India]," he said. "When India was using pellet guns in Kashmir, before our government, no one was talking about it. Neither was Pakistan doing anything and neither did the UN," he added.

PM Imran said that it was Modi's "pride" which was the main reason behind India's August 5 move. He said that Modi thought the world would back India and stay silent as he assumed that the West wanted to use India as a counterforce to China. 

Highlighting another wrong assumption of the Modi government, the prime minister said that India thought after it would unleash its RSS thugs in the occupied territory and resort to state terrorism, the Kashmiris would surrender. 

"Let me tell you, nations have made huge blunders in the past based on proud decisions," he said. 

West criticising India for the first time

The prime minister said that many world leaders and countries around the world didn't even know what was going on in occupied Kashmir. "At first, the New York Times wouldn't let me write on the issue for them," he said. "I went there and discussed it with the NYT board [to make them understand]," he added. 

He said that the Western media had criticised India on such a large scale for the first time, in the past year ever since it undertook the August 5 move. "Previously, after Bangladesh was created, the world started viewing India in a positive light and not us," he said, adding that the situation had now changed. 

'The world is watching Kashmir'

Criticising the Indian premier for the massacre in Gujarat, PM Imran said that Modi could not go to Western countries such as the UK and US as he was banned due to his extremist actions. 

"No one can become a leader like this, after committing the massacre of thousands of Muslims," he said, adding that Modi's actions in occupied Kashmir had attracted the world's attention.

"Today, Narendra Modi has been exposed in the world," he said. "And now, the world is watching Kashmir. They are committing injustices there, no doubt, but not according to the extent they had planned," he added. 

PM Imran credited his government for raising its voice for Kashmir in front of the world. He said that it was due to his government's efforts that the Kashmir issue was highlighted and now, the world was noting the situation with concern.

Political map, Nishan-e-Pakistan for Syed Ali Geelani

The premier said that he had met Kashmiri leader Farooq Abdullah 10-15 years ago during a conference and he had always spoken about talks with India. "Now, I see even he is saying that Quaid-e-Azam was right [about partition with India]," he said. 

"As far as my analysis is concerned, India is entering a 'blind alley'," he said. "I assure you, we will highlight this issue at every forum," he added.

PM Imran said that his government could not properly implement his plan as there was a "march" (referring to the JUI-F's Azadi dharna) and the coronavirus problem which had caused distractions. 

Speaking about Pakistan's first political map released yesterday, PM Imran said Pakistan needed to react and tell the world that this was a disputed territory, more so after India claimed Gilgit-Baltistan and other territories. 

PM Imran announced that Pakistan will honour Syed Ali Geelani with the Nishan-e-Pakistan award. The premier described him as a "big leader" of not only Kashmir but also of the region. 

PM slams 'brutal fascist military siege by India'

Earlier today, the prime minister tweeted: “Kashmiris in IIOJK have been subjected to a brutal fascist military siege by India since its illegal actions of 5th Aug last year followed by efforts to change the demography of IIOJK,” the prime minister said in a tweet on Wednesday.

“I will continue to be an ambassador for all Kashmiris whose voices India has tried to silence through its brutal illegal occupation of IIOJK,” PM Imran said, adding that after many years his government raised the Kashmir issue effectively at international forums.

“My government raised the Kashmir issue effectively before the UN and exposed the Hindutva Supremacist fascism of the Modi government,” he said.

PM Imran added, “We have also depicted the aspirations of the Kashmiri people ad our commitment to UNSC resolutions in the political map of Pakistan released yesterday.”

'Open-air prison with destroyed economy’

Separately, in an exclusive interview with Aljazeera, the prime minister had said the Modi-led government’s revocation of the special status of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJ&K) last year has turned the disputed region into an "open-air prison" with its economy destroyed.

“Modi was responsible for undermining his country’s legacy of secularism. India fell under the control of an extremist ideology [propounded by] the RSS,” the prime minister was quoted as saying by Radio Pakistan.

The premier added that what India’s Muslims were facing resembles what happened during the extermination of Jews in Nazi Germany.

AJK PM seeks UN’s intervention

AJK Prime Minister Raja Muhammad Farooq Haider Khan on Tuesday appealed to the permanent members of United Nations Security Council to prevail upon India to stop changing the demography of IIOJK and its atrocities on the innocent Kashmiris.

Farooq, in his message in connection with the Youm-e-Istehsal, said the clouds of war were hovering over the region as the Indian government’s intransigent attitude had disturbed the peace of the entire region.

He said India was bent upon snatching the culture, traditions and language of the Kashmiri people after revoking articles 35 A and 370 of its constitution, which was aimed at changing the demographic apartheid of the state.

He said Kashmiris were determined to continue their legitimate struggle as per the UN resolutions despite the military siege.