Staff Reporter
Islamabad
Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday said that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had “played his last card” by downgrading the autonomy of occupied Kashmir, stressing that the residents of the disputed region will not accept the decision.
“Narendra Modi committed a mistake, he has played his last card,” he told the participants of a ‘human chain’ event held in Islamabad to express solidarity with the people of occupied Kashmir. He said Modi thinks that the people of occupied Kashmir will accept the decision of revoking Article 370. “He [Modi] doesn’t know that what the Kashmiri people have faced in the last several decades, it has eliminated the fear of death among them. Tens of thousands of Kashmiri people will not accept the decision and come out when the curfew is lifted,” he added.
Prime Minister Imran said people had gathered today to deliver a message to the people of occupied Kashmir that the Pakistani nation stands with them. “We will continue reminding the international community that eight million humans have been locked up in Kashmir,” he vowed.
The premier regretted the wall-to-wall coverage of the Hong Kong protests by international media, and the relative silence surrounding the treatment of the people of Kashmir.
“I want to highlight the issue of double standards as Kashmir is not a part of India and Hong Kong is a part of China but the proportion of coverage of the Kashmiri people is very less as compared to the issue of Hong Kong,” he said.
“Our movement is for the human rights of the Kashmiri people; God willing it will become massive,” the prime minister added.
His address came after a large number of people gathered in the capital after Friday prayers to form a ‘human chain’ from D-Chowk to Radio Pakistan Chowk in a show of solidarity with the people of occupied Kashmir.
Prime Minister Imran joined the chain as it passed through the Prime Minister’s Office.
Addressing the event, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information Firdous Ashiq Awan said the premier had promised to the Kashmiri people that he will approach each and every forum to highlight their plight.
“The chain was formed to shake the silence of the global community and the international media,” she said, adding that Prime Minister Imran had once again told the world that the Pakistani nation will continue to raise voices for Kashmir.
“The human chain will ultimately break the chains and jails of the Kashmiri people.” The people of Kashmir have been living under curfew-like conditions for over two months now.
On Prime Minister Imran Khan’s call, the workers of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, students from various educational institutions, government employees and people from cross sections of society, gathered in the Federal Capital to convey a clear message to Indian government that the whole of Pakistani nation stood by their Kashmiri brethren.The flags of Pakistan and Kashmir were fluttering across the Constitution Avenue with the national songs, being played loudly.
The people waved the flags and chanted slogans “Kashmir Banay Ga Pakistan” and “Long Live Pakistan. ” The event is in continuation of the government’’s decision to observe each Friday as a day of solidarity with the people of Kashmir.
