Imran Khan claims Kashmiris are 'under siege,' says world should 'consider security of India's nuclear arsenal' under Modi govt

Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan on Sunday called upon the global community to take note of “Kashmiris under siege” and said that the world should “seriously consider the safety and security of India’s nuclear arsenal” in the hands of the Narendra Modi-led government. Following the Union government’s move to invalidate Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, Imran has been extremely vocal about alleged human rights violations in the state. The Pakistan prime minister has also made several exhortations to the global community in this regard, on similar lines as his remarks on Sunday. In a series of tweets, Imran said —

The Pakistan prime minister said, “The Hindu supremacist Modi government poses a threat to Pakistan as well as to the minorities in India, and in fact to the very fabric of Nehru and Gandhi’s India.” Imran’s  recent statements are similar to his remarks on 15 August , when he had questioned the international community’s silence on the Kashmir issue and warned that it will have severe “repercussions” in the Muslim world, “setting off radicalisation” and “cycles of violence”. “Will world silently witness…I want to warn international community if it allows this to happen, it will have severe repercussions and reactions in the Muslim world setting off radicalisation and cycles of violence,” he tweeted. On Wednesday, Khan vowed to become the voice of Kashmir and raise the issue at every global forum, including the United Nations. On 16 August, Syed Akbaruddin , Permanent Representative to the UN, had articulated India’s position at the headquarters of the global body. He had said, “Our position was and remains that matters related to Article 370 are entirely an internal matter of India. The recent decisions are intended to ensure that good governance is promoted, socio-economic development is enhanced for our people…We are committed to gradually removing all restrictions. Since the change is internal to India, it has not made any difference to our external orientation. India remains committed (to ensure) that the situation there remains calm and peaceful. We are committed to all the agreements that we’ve signed on this issue.” Akbaruddin further said, “We note that there were some who tried to project an alarmist approach to the situation which is far from the ground realities. Of particular concern is that one State is using terminology of ‘jihad’ against and promoting violence in India including by their leaders. Violence is no solution to the problems we face. We are in consistent in all our positions that all issues will be resolved bilaterally and peacefully… We stand ready to continue our efforts towards peaceful resolution of all issues in an atmosphere free of violence.” With inputs from PTI