Imran Khan warns of refugee crisis in Pakistan

Imran Khan warns of refugee crisis in Pakistan

Speaking at the two-day refugee summit in Islamabad on 40 years of hosting Afghan refugees in Pakistan, he said India's "ultranationalist ideology going unchecked could lead to destruction and the region could become a flashpoint", The Express Tribune quoted him as saying.

AgenciesUpdated: Tuesday, February 18, 2020, 01:33 AM IST
article-image
Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan delivers a speech during the Refugee Summit Islamabad to mark 40 years of hosting Afghan refugee in Islamabad on Monday. | AFP

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday warned that Pakistan may face another refugee crisis if the international community failed to take notice of the current situation in India.

Speaking at the two-day refugee summit in Islamabad on 40 years of hosting Afghan refugees in Pakistan, he said India's "ultranationalist ideology going unchecked could lead to destruction and the region could become a flashpoint", The Express Tribune quoted him as saying.

He said said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement that India can destroy Pakistan in 11 days is not a responsible statement by a premier of a nuclear state with a huge population, the paper reported.

Khan made the statement in the presence of visiting UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who was also attending the summit.

He said because of the "Hindutva" ideology, Kashmiris have been lockdown for over 200 days. He alleged under the same ideology, the BJP-led government passed two discriminatory nationalistic legislations, targeting 200 million Muslims in India.

Khan was referring to India's Citizenship Amendment Act and the revocation of the special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

The new citizenship law passed by the Indian Parliament in December 2019 offers citizenship to non-Muslim persecuted religious minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

The Indian government has maintained that the CAA is an internal matter of the country and stressed that the goal is to protect the oppressed minorities of neighbouring countries.

India revoked Jammu and Kashmir's special status on August 5. Reacting to India's move, Pakistan downgraded diplomatic ties with New Delhi and expelled the Indian High Commissioner.

India has always maintained that Jammu and Kashmir is its integral part and ruled out any third party mediation, including either from the UN or the US, saying it is a bilateral issue with Pakistan.

Khan said if the international community does not take notice of this situation, it will create another refugee crisis for Pakistan as Muslims of India will move to Pakistan.

"This is not the India of Jawaharlal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi. The United Nations (UN) must play its role otherwise it will become a very big problem in the future," Duniya News quoted Khan as saying.

RECENT STORIES

Australia's PM Anthony Albanese Proposes Tougher Gun Laws Following Mass Shooting At Sydney's Bondi...

Australia's PM  Anthony Albanese Proposes Tougher Gun Laws Following Mass Shooting At Sydney's Bondi...

Bondi Beach Shooting: Who Are Sajid Akram & Naveed Akram? The Father-Son Duo Behind Australia's...

Bondi Beach Shooting: Who Are Sajid Akram & Naveed Akram? The Father-Son Duo Behind Australia's...

Moscow: Video Shows Man Walking On Track With Headphones Near Fryazevo Station Struck By High-Speed...

Moscow: Video Shows Man Walking On Track With Headphones Near Fryazevo Station Struck By High-Speed...

Bondi Beach Shooting: Pakistani Father-Son Duo Behind Terror Attack That Claimed 16 Lives During...

Bondi Beach Shooting: Pakistani Father-Son Duo Behind Terror Attack That Claimed 16 Lives During...

'You Ba***rds': Daily Telegraph Roars In Rage After Bondi Beach Terror Claims 16 Lives; Leaves...

'You Ba***rds': Daily Telegraph Roars In Rage After Bondi Beach Terror Claims 16 Lives; Leaves...