Protestors in POK boo Pak PM Imran Khan as he tries to whip up anti-India frenzy
16 Sep 2019
Hundreds of people in Muzzafarabad in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (POK) chanted 'Imran Khan go back' on Saturday as the Pakistan prime minister continued his misinformation campaign against India and tried to win support with false sympathies for people in Kashmir.
Imran Khan has been spewing venom and threatening to go into war with India – conventional or nuclear - after New Delhi revoked the special status for Jammu and Kashmir.
Imran was in Muzzafarabad on Friday where he tried to rally up support of locals against the Indian government. He appealed to the people in POK to stand up for their rights as he continued his vitriolic against the so-called oppression of Kashmiri people by the Narendra Modi-led government in India.
Instead of the cheers he expected, hundreds of people began chanting slogans, "Imran Khan go back," which made it clear that their real sentiments are contradictory to Pakistan’s claims and that they have more to tell the world about human rights abuses by Pakistani army and the government in Islamabad.
People in POK have come out repeatedly to protest against discrimination by Islamabad. The Pakistani Army has also been accused of committing atrocities there.
They have also accused Pakistan of depriving them of natural resources in the region, including taking away of precious water from the region for supplying to major cities of Pakistan.
In April of 2019, the Pakistani Army had resorted to force to subdue a protest in POK which had left many injured.
On the other hand, Pakistan has reactivated a number of terror launch pads in POK which also exposes Islamabad's nefarious priorities, according to reports from Indian intelligence agencies.
Meanwhile, in an interview with Arab news channel Al Jazeera, Imran acknowledged that Pakistan could lose in a conventional war with India, but added “there could be consequences”.
He also stated that there is a possibility of a nuclear war with India after New Delhi revoked the special status for Jammu and Kashmir.But he insisted that Islamabad would never start a nuclear war and he is “anti-war.”
“But I am clear that when two nuclear armed countries fight a conventional war, there is every possibility of it ending in a nuclear war. If I say Pakistan, God forbid, and in a conventional war, and we are losing, and if a country is stuck between two choices, either you surrender or fight to the death for your freedom. I know Pakistan will fight to the death for freedom, when a nuclear armed country fights to the death, there are consequences,” Imran Khan said.
On Friday, at a rally in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, he had warned nations of the world that the situation in Kashmir would drive more Muslims towards extremism and people “will rise against India”. He also said that if the Kashmir issue is not resolved by the international community it could “impact world trade”.
Pakistan also, last week, clashed with India at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) session over alleged restrictions in Jammu and Kashmir, and accused India of turning Kashmir into the planet’s largest prison. New Delhi hit back saying that the Pakistani leadership was trying to promote cross-border terrorism.
New Delhi also said the Pakistan foreign minister’s statement was a “fabricated narrative from the epicentre of global terrorism”.
Imran also insisted that US President Donald Trump’s offer to intervene on the Kashmir issue should be seriously considered. “if he intervenes, seriously intervenes, it is one way you can guarantee some sort of resolution.”
However, Trump last week said he was willing to help India and Pakistan resolve the Kashmir issue if “they want”.