On September 28, 2019, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan addressed at the UN General Assembly (UNGA), calling on the International community to mediate the issue of Kashmir, Khan’s rigid speech at the UN was a warning for a nuclear war between the two nuclear-armed countries, he said: “We will fight till the end and when a nuclear-armed country defends itself the consequences of the war goes far beyond the border”.
Imran Khan Speech at the UNGA
PM Imran Khan has been continuously calling upon the global communities to help Pakistan resolve the Kashmir issue, while he has been failed to utter a voice for the oppressed Pashtuns within the country.
PM Khan’s consecutive warnings of possible radicalization and woeful repercussion emerging from the Jammu and Kashmir issue flared up Indian reactions.
Modi Government on Kashmir Issue
The Indian Foreign Minister on the occasion of the 100th day of Modi’s government said “Our position on (Pakistan Occupied Kashmir) (PoK) has always been and will always be very clear. (PoK) is part of India and we expect one day that we will have the physical jurisdiction over it,” Modi’s government has maintained a firm stance that talks with Pakistan are possible only about Pakistan held Kashmir and not on Kashmir.
Singh expressed “I have clearly stated that if talks take place between India and Pakistan, then it will be on Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK),” retaining India’s rigid stand on Jammu and Kashmir.
Imran Seeks Attention of Islamic Nations
Pakistan has been a key political actor in the region, known for supporting militant groups in India and Afghanistan. Yet showing the World as one of the terror victims and has been so far receiving funds to fight terrorism within its territory, given the ongoing scenario Pakistan is leveraging from the Kashmir issue, giving it a religious touch to gain support of the Islamic nations yet some of the Islamic countries playing a key role in the regional politics declined to favor Pakistan’s stand-in Kashmir issue, calling it a bilateral political matter between India and Pakistan and they asked Pakistan not to ritualize the issue as Islam has nothing to do with it.
Kashmir Issue and Islam
On September 5, 2019, UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed said: “Kashmir issue does not concern the Muslim community but rather a dispute between Islamabad and New Delhi”.
Despite many attempts, PM Khan failed to acquire International support concerning the issue, even Pakistan’s all-weather ally China also declined to favor Pakistan in Kashmir issue and called upon both the countries to resolve the issue together, calling it an internal issue. Therefore, Khan expressed his disappointment over the unexpected response from the International Community over the skirmish what he calls a human rights crisis in Jammu and Kashmir, also warned to boycott from the OIC (Organization of Islamic cooperation).
Pakistan killing the Soul of Balochistan
On the other hand, Pakistan’s Army has been continuously violating Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), Baluchistan and other Pashtun populated regions over the last almost two decades. A report published by BBC unfolds the perennial tragedies suffered by the Pashtun population, the report shows that tens of thousands of Pashtuns have been brutally killed by Pakistan Armed forces across Waziristan, Swat, and other tribal regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province post 9/11.
Pakistan Army Supports Taliban
Pakistan Army began their war under so-called terrorist groups since the outset of the USA war of Afghanistan when the Taliban regime collapsed and the Taliban key commanders were provided shelter across the Durand Line. According to the local and international sources, the death toll of the innocent Pashtuns is estimated to be 50,000, many of the war sufferers have been forced to migrate to other places of Pakistan to find shelters.
Mass Killing of Pashtun Activists
Mass and target killings of prominent Pashtun activists by the Pakistan Police and military inflamed Pashtuns to stand up for their rights, eventually in the year 2014 a small group of 8 students at Gomal University, Dera Ismail Khan formed a social movement called Mehsud Tahafuz Movement (MTP) as an initiative for demining in Waziristan and other parts of FATA. the movement then changed to Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) after gaining popularity in the year 2018, as justice for Naqeebullah Mehsud, who was illegally killed in a fake encounter underway by the police officer Rao Anwar in Karachi (Pakistan). Tens of hundreds of Pashtuns are missing, across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. The Pak Army’s atrocities in Pashtun populated regions are detrimental and unbearable.
The suffering of Pashtuns in Pakistan
PM Imran Khan should prioritize giving Rights to Pashtuns suffering for decades within its country, stop the country’s military and police from involving in the mass and target killing of Human Rights activists across FATA and Baluchistan. should avoid bailouts to the militant groups thwarting the lives of people in neighbor countries. Since this is a political issue between the two countries, therefore PM Khan should not politicize and internationalize it by using religious rituals, as many of the key Islamic countries have denied intervening in the issue and called it an internal matter between India and Pakistan.
