Pakistan’s prime minister claims New Delhi is not only endangering minorities in India, but also imperiling regional peace
Reiterating his concerns that India’s “arrogant expansionist policies” are a threat to regional peace, Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday highlighted the conflicts New Delhi was currently embroiled in across South Asia.
In a series of posts on Twitter, Khan said that Delhi, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was now threatening all its neighboring nations. “The Hindutva Supremacist Modi Govt with its arrogant expansionist policies, akin to Nazi’s Lebensraum, is becoming a threat to India’s neighbors. Bangladesh through Citizenship Act, border disputes with Nepal and China, and Pak threatened with false flag operation,” he said.
“All this after illegal annexation of IOJK [India-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir], a war crime under 4th Geneva Convention, and laying claim to AJK [Azad Jammu and Kashmir],” the prime minister continued. “I have always maintained the fascist Modi government is not only a threat to India’s minorities by relegating them to 2nd class citizens’ status, but also threat to regional peace,” he added.
Tensions between Pakistan and India have been on the rise since February 2019, reaching an apex in August after Delhi revoked the special constitutional status enjoyed by Jammu and Kashmir. More recently, Delhi has moved to change the domicile law for Kashmir; ramped up claims that Pakistan is trying to instigate terrorism; and expanded the number of ceasefire violations along the Line of Control, prompting the Pakistan Army to warn that it would not hesitate to respond in kind.
Separately, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi also said India’s aggressive policy toward its neighbors was putting regional peace and security at risk. He told state-run PTV that the global community needed to take notice of India’s actions and censure them. He also voiced support for China’s actions in Ladakh.
The past week, China and India have been facing off in the disputed Galwan area of Ladakh over Delhi’s construction of a road and defense facilities. Reportedly, there have been at least four rounds of unarmed clashes between the troops of both countries amid alarm that the conflict could escalate.
According to Qureshi, any “illegal constructions” by India could have serious consequences for peace. He said that China did not want any confrontation, and hoped to sort all issues through dialogue. However, he added, Beijing could not ignore India’s illegal activities.
The foreign minister also noted that India’s issues with Nepal were on the rise, adding that Delhi had also played the role of spoiler in the Afghan peace process.
Nepal and India recently exchanged harsh words after Delhi constructed a road along their shared border, forcing Kathmandu to publish a map emphasizing the area under its control. Delhi subsequently censured Kathmandu for the publication, prompting a round of angry exchanges between the two.