Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday responded to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s comments given a day earlier and assured him that he stands by his words that if India provides Pakistan with “actionable intelligence” regarding the February 14 attack in occupied Kashmir’s Pulwama, “we will immediately act”.
On Saturday, Modi had asked Prime Minister Khan to keep his word as a Pathan and fight poverty and illiteracy together with India instead of fighting each other.
Khan today sought to reiterate Pakistan’s desire to see stability in the region, saying Modi should “give peace a chance”, according to a statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office.
“In my meeting with PM Modi in December 2015, we had agreed that since poverty alleviation is a priority for our region, we would not allow any terrorist incident to derail peace efforts, however long before Pulwama, these efforts were derailed in September 2018,” the premier said, in a reference to India’s cancellation of a meeting between the Pakistani and Indian foreign ministers on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly last year.
“Sadly, now peace remains elusive due to elections in India,” Khan regretted.
The exchange of remarks between Khan and his Indian counterpart comes amidst heightened tensions between India and Pakistan following the attack on Indian security forces in Pulwama.
At least 40 Indian paramilitary soldiers were killed on February 14 when a suicide bomber drove an explosive-laden car into their convoy. According to media reports, Jaish-e-Muhammad claimed responsibility for the attack but New Delhi immediately blamed Islamabad and threatened a retaliatory attack. It also announced that it would launch a diplomatic offensive to isolate Pakistan in the international community. Moreover, India scrapped the Most Favoured Nation status granted to Pakistan and imposed a 200 per cent customs duty on its goods.
In response to India’s allegations, Prime Minister Khan promised to conduct an investigation if New Delhi provided “actionable evidence” but also warned that Pakistan will “retaliate” if attacked. On Friday, the Pakistan Army also warned India to avoid “any misadventure”, as it could have dangerous consequences.
