New Delhi’s draconian policies towards Kashmir made talks with India impossible: Moeed

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan’s aide Moeed Yusuf said that Pakistan stood firmly for peace in the region through dialogue but New Delhi’s draconian policies towards Kashmiris had made talks impossible.

In the first interview by a senior Pakistani official to an Indian news outlet since India’s unilateral and illegal actions on 5th August 2019, Moeed reiterated Prime Minister Imran Khan’s stance that if India took one step forward, Pakistan would take two steps forward.

He outlined pre-conditions necessary for any dialogue and said that New Delhi must release all political prisoners in IIOJK, lift the military siege, reverse the domicile bill and stop all human rights violations against Kashmiris before any dialogue could begin.

He reminded Indian audiences that today, even pro-India Kashmiri politicians have publicly admitted that no one in IIOJK was willing to live under Indian occupation anymore.

Dr Yusuf emphasized that Kashmiris remain the principal party in the dispute according to Pakistan and their wishes and aspirations should be addressed in any dialogue.

Drawing a contrast between Pakistan and India, Dr Yusuf said that Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government was dedicated to pursuing economic security and connectivity for the prosperity of Pakistan and the region, but policy makers in New Delhi remained blind sighted by Hindutva ideology.

He said India had lost the neighbourhood because of the expansionist policies of the BJP government, while Pakistan was pursuing peace in its neighbourhood.

Responding to Indian allegations about terrorism, Dr Yusuf said that Pakistan had facilitated investigations in all cases pending in courts but India was delaying the investigations by not providing evidence in the case.

He said not finding a resolution to terror cases helped India in its false narrative of terrorism. Dr Yusuf called out India for being unable to bring the perpetrators of the Samjhuta and Babri Masjid cases , Malegaon blast case and others to justice while it accused Pakistan of delays which spoke to double standards.

Indian Support for Terrorism Taking an aggressive approach towards Indian sponsored terrorism in Pakistan, the SAPM on National Security revealed new details about millions of dollars in payments made to TTP leadership by RAW officer through Indian Embassy funds.

He said Pakistan knew the names and ranks of officers in touch with terror leadership and would soon reveal Indian activities to the world through a detailed dossier based on lengthy investigations.

He also revealed that India had financed anti-Pakistan terrorist groups and supported their merger with the TTP earlier this year.

For the first time, Dr Yusuf also blamed India for sponsoring the heinous APS attack in which over 100 innocent children lost their lives, saying that Pakistan had record of eight phone calls made from India to TTP commander before the attack.

He added that Indian intelligence handlers based in a neighbouring country had directed the attacks on the Chinese consulate in Karachi, PC hotel in Gwadar and the PSX attack in the last two years.

He also revealed how BLA terrorists were receiving treatment in a hospital in New Delhi. Kashmiris Principal Party Debunking latest propaganda by India on GB and Kashmir issue, Dr Yusuf said Pakistan stood by UNSC resolutions as the way forward for resolving the dispute and fulfilling the aspirations of over 8 million Kashmiris.

He said Indian propaganda would not shake the principled stance of Pakistan on the Kashmir issue. The SAPM said that Prime Minister Imran Khan had directed his office to open space for the government in the region and find solutions to lingering problems, but his counterpart in India was pursuing an opposite direction.

He highlighted that Pakistan stands for peace and would welcome any dialogue with India if the lives of Kashmiris in IIOJK were normalized, Kashmiris were recognized as the rightful principal party in any dialogue, and India stopped sponsoring terrorism against Pakistan.

He also pointed to Pakistan’s response on 27 February 2019 and warned that any misadventure from India would result in an equally swift response from Pakistan.