Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday continued his 'usual' approach of raking up the Kashmir issue at international forums.
This time, Imran used his speech at the first virtual meeting of the UN General Assembly to warn about an "impending genocide" of Kashmiris by India and the "fascist" RSS.
Imran was quoted by Geo News as saying, "While the Nazis' hate was directed at the Jews, the RSS directs it at the Muslims, and to a lesser extent, the Christians… The secularism of Gandhi and Nehru has been replaced by the dream of creating a Hindu Rashtra, by subjugating, even cleansing India's 200 million Muslims and other minorities."
Imran also brought up the Babri Masjid demolition, the Delhi riots of February and the Gujarat riots of 2002, which he mentioned happened when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the chief minister of the state.
Imran termed as "unprecedented" in history the alleged targeting of minorities by Hindutva groups. Imran referred to India as the "one country in the world where the states sponsors Islamophobia".
‘Final Solution’
Imran also spoke extensively about the security clampdown in Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370. "About 13,000 Kashmiri youth were incarcerated and thousands tortured [since August 5, 2019]… Indian occupation forces have used brute force including pellet guns against peaceful protesters," Imran was quoted as saying by Geo News. Imran claimed the BJP government's plan in Kashmir was to implement a "Final Solution", again equating India to the Nazis.
Imran warned of the possibility of conflict over the Kashmir issue, which he claimed was rightly described as a "nuclear flashpoint".
Imran sought international intervention in the issue, noting, "“The Security Council must prevent a disastrous conflict and secure the implementation of its own resolutions as it did in the case of East Timor... It must take appropriate enforcement actions. It must also take steps to protect the Kashmiris from an impending genocide by India.”
India responds
Not surprisingly, the Indian government hit back. “PM of Pakistan statement a new diplomatic low—at 75th UN General Assembly. Another litany of vicious falsehood, personal attacks, war mongering and obfuscation of Pakistan’s persecution of its own minorities & of its cross-border terrorism. Befitting Right of Reply awaits," India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador T.S. Tirumurti tweeted.
The Indian delegate in the General Assembly Hall, Mijito Vinito, walked out when Imran started his usual diatribe about India. Vinito also read out India’s response to the speech by Imran. "This Hall heard the incessant rant of someone who had nothing to show for himself, who had no achievements to speak of, and no reasonable suggestion to offer to the world. Instead, we saw lies, misinformation, warmongering, and malice spread through this Assembly,“ Vinito was quoted as saying by NDTV. He noted Imran had described Osama Bin Laden as a “martyr” in Pakistan’s parliament in July. Vinito also pointed out Pakistan was the nation that brought genocide to South Asia, alluding to the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971.
India has categorically told the international community that the scrapping of Article 370 of the Constitution was its internal matter. It also advised Pakistan to accept reality and stop all anti-India propaganda.