Modi’s annexation of Kashmir would lead to its independence, said Imran Khan

Khan, who was addressing the Legislative Assembly of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in Muzaffarabad, said that Modi was voted back to power with a huge mandate in 2019 because he made Pakistan a scapegoat in the election.

Continuing his tirade against Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the scrapping of special status to J&K, Pakistan PM Imran Khan called the move “a fatal mistake”.

Khan, who was addressing the Legislative Assembly in Muzaffarabad, said Modi was voted back to power with a huge mandate in 2019 because he made Pakistan a scapegoat in the election.

“Modi made a fatal mistake, one that he could not step back from…He cannot go back from where he has taken India. The genie of Hindu nationalism is out of the bottle and it cannot be put back,” Khan was quoted as saying by PTI.

The Pakistan Prime Minister further claimed that Modi’s “annexation of Kashmir would finally result in its independence,” Dawn reported. The special status conferred upon the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 was revoked on August 5 and the issue has been raised time and again by Khan at various international forums.

“It is my faith that Kashmir will become free after August 5 action by Modi. If he had not taken this step, we would not have been able to highlight it to the world,” Imran Khan said and added that it was “his duty” to inform the world about it.

Reacting to Modi’s statement that the Indian Army would need not more than “a week to 10 days” to defeat the neighbouring country in case of another war, Khan said, “No normal man can say such a thing.” Modi had made the statement while addressing the National Cadet Corps in New Delhi last month.

Asserting that that world’s focus on Kashmir should not be diverted, Khan claimed, “Either they (India) will launch false flag operation or launch a crackdown in Kashmir by using the threat of terrorism.”

He also said that he had spoken thrice to US President Donald Trump on the issue and demanded immediate lifting of restrictions and communications blockade in the Valley.