Imran Khan Receives Modi’s Message. Time to Resolve Kashmir Issue
Pakistan has asserted that India’s ruling party BJP under PM Modi had stage-managed the terrorist attack on its soil to solicit people’s support for the Lok Sabha election.
By Rakesh Raman
The Prime Minister (PM) of Pakistan Imran Khan said Friday that he has received a message from his Indian counterpart PM Narendra Modi who has sent best wishes to the people of Pakistan on the National Day of Pakistan (March 23).
In his message, according to Imran Khan, Modi has expressed his desire to work together with Pakistan to ensure an atmosphere free of terror and violence in the region.
Imran Khan has reciprocated with his willingness to have a comprehensive dialogue with India to address and resolve all issues – particularly the Kashmir issue which is the main cause of tension between the two countries.
“I welcome PM Modi’s message to our people. As we celebrate Pakistan Day I believe it is time to begin a comprehensive dialogue with India to address and resolve all issues, especially the central issue of Kashmir,” Imran Khan tweeted.
The animosity between the enemy countries had increased after the recent terror attack on CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) men in the Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) in which more than 40 Indian men died. As usual, India had blamed Pakistan for the attack, while Pakistan has repeatedly refuted India’s claims.
[ Real Voter Reveals the Politics of Pulwama Terror Attack ]
Pakistan has asserted that India’s ruling party BJP under PM Modi had stage-managed the terrorist attack on its soil to solicit people’s support for the Lok Sabha election.
Similar views are also expressed by a number of Indian politicians who express that the Modi government was behind Pulwama attack to get CRPF men killed for votes.
In a major diplomatic setback to India, the UN Security Council (UNSC) decreed that Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar is not a terrorist, although India claimed he was responsible for Pulwama attack.
Pakistan PM Imran Khan had also asserted that Modi is trying to take advantage in the upcoming election by blaming Pakistan without any evidence for attacks on the Indians.
Pakistan complained that Indian warplanes violated the Line of Control (LoC) on February 26 and committed unprovoked aggression against Pakistan with the unsubstantiated excuse that Pakistan was behind terrorism in India.
[ Pakistan Says India Fails to Give Kashmiri People the Right to Freedom ]
While the tension between the nuclear-armed nations India and Pakistan persists, Pakistan says that India has deployed over 700,000 troops to suppress the voice of people in Kashmir, which is a disputed territory between the two countries.
In order to deescalate the situation, Imran Khan has urged India to start a dialogue so that the Kashmir issue could be resolved amicably.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Ambassador at the UN in New York Maleeha Lodhi met the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to brief him about latest developments and the situation in “occupied Jammu and Kashmir,” and she asked him to play a role in helping to deescalate tensions.
Pakistan Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain has said “Kashmir was never part of India, never will be.”
Kashmir has always been a conflict area between India and Pakistan since 1947 when both these countries got freedom from the British rule. In order to stake their claims over Kashmir, India and Pakistan have fought two aggressive wars in 1965 and 1971, besides incessant skirmishes between the rival armies.
I welcome PM Modi’s message to our people. As we celebrate Pakistan Day I believe it is time to begin a comprehensive dialogue with India to address & resolve all issues, esp the central issue of Kashmir, & forge a new relationship based on peace & prosperity for all our people.
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) March 22, 2019
Now, it is a political compulsion for both the countries to blame each other without sufficient evidence for local violence because there is a large number of irresponsible voters in India and Pakistan who expect their leaders to issue reckless, explosive statements and hit back violently.
By Rakesh Raman, who is a national award-winning journalist and social activist. He is the founder of a humanitarian organization RMN Foundation which is working in diverse areas to help the disadvantaged and distressed people in the society. He also creates and publishes a number of digital publications on different subjects.
