Moeed Yusuf says India trying to spread false narrative of an agreement reached on IoK

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Security, Moeed Yusuf said India is trying to spread the narrative in occupied Kashmir that it has reached an agreement with Pakistan on the disputed territory.   

"India is spreading a narrative in occupied Kashmir that there has been an agreement [with Pakistan] on [the disputed] territory," Yusuf told reporters in Lahore on Saturday.

The SAPM, who was talking today to media in the backdrop of his recent interview with Indian journalist Karan Thappar, said that he felt disappointed out of one of the feedback that he got regarding the interview.

“90% feedback said that it was the first time that Pakistan gave a befitting response to India,” claimed Yusuf. He added that the feedback meant that Pakistan was presenting its case out of fear and on the back foot.

“What is there to fear. Have we stolen something? Someone else is doing the stealing here,” said the prime minister's aide. He added that what the Narendra Modi-led government was doing in Kashmir should make them New Delhi defensive and it should not be the other way around.

He explained that this was the approach that he had gone into the panel with. He also added that as a representative of Pakistan, he had told India during the interview that its “basic message” was that of peace.

Hurdles to peace

Yusuf told media that in his interview he clearly identified the hurdles to peace in his interview with the Indian journalist, Karan Thapar.

The SAPM said that a “jail-like feeling’ was being felt by the masses in occupied Kashmir after New Delhi's August 5, 2019 move. He added that in the ongoing “military occupation”, humans have been turned into animals.

Speaking about New Delhi's deceptive tactics, Yusuf said,“India is spreading a narrative in occupied Kashmir that there has been an agreement on Kashmir. That the chapter has closed and Pakistan is not serious."

The SAPM said that Pakistan has made its stance on occupied Kashmir clear, adding that he also used the phrase “over my dead body” to make clear Islamabad's stance on the occupied territory.

“What agreement can there be [with India]? There is only one [agreement possible]. That whatever measures you have taken should be reversed and decisions [in future] should be made according to the UN resolutions,” said Yusuf

He said Pakistan was supporting this narrative this because it knows “what the situation in Kashmir is right now”. He added that “Kashmiris cannot even listen to India’s name” after the August 5, 2019 move by New Delhi.

“I told them that you have to reverse this. Not because of us, but because of what is happening there,” said the SAPM.

“When you treat humans like animals then you will get a response and it is coming,” warned the SAPM, adding that it was better India walked away from its wishes and arrived at the negotiating table for talks. 

Change in narrative

The SAPM also said that during the interview Pakistan challenged India’s narrative on terrorism.

“They always used to say that Pakistan wants to speak about Kashmir and we want to talk about terrorism. In this interview, a major change in Pakistan’s stance is that actually not you, but we also want to talk about terrorism,” said Yusuf, adding that he made them count “one after another” of India’s involvement in terror attacks on Pakistani soil.

“All these matters were not [in] their expectations and neither has there been any talk like this and we have nothing to hide,” said the SAPM. He added that there has been “no response” on the terrorism charges he presented regarding India.

“We are ready for talks. We have made the conditions clear,” said Yusuf. He added that Pakistan has clarified what India has to do in occupied Kashmir and stop terrorism against Pakistan.

The SAPM also emphasized that there is a need to change Pakistan’s narrative in the world.

“Pakistan’s narrative is of economic security and the world has not accepted it yet. We need to work on it and I request to the media that you are part of Pakistan’s diplomacy,” said Yusuf.

The SAPM also said that the media should think it’s part of the state when it talks as most of the questions asked from him by Thapar were quoting Pakistani media.

The SAPM said that his “goal” for the next year is to present “Pakistan’s new narrative”.