Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has supported the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying both the countries will have a better chance of settling the Kashmir dispute if Modi-led BJP government returned to power.
Khan’s comments prompted Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal to take a dig at Modi questioning about his relationship with Pakistan.
According to the media reports in Islamabad, the cricketer-turned-politician further said if the Congress cames to power at the Centre then it might not start a dialogue with Pakistan on Kashmir as it would be scared of the opposition.
“Perhaps if the BJP, a right-wing party, wins, some kind of settlement in Kashmir could be reached,” Khan was quoted as saying.
Khan further said that he sought a meaningful dialogue on Kashmir issue with the BJP if it came to power despite the fact that Muslims were facing continuous attack under Modi rule.
Saying that Muslim-ness is under attack, Khan added that he had never expected to witness something like this. Citing his Indian Muslim friends he said they were happy about their situation in India but they now worried due to the rise of extreme Hindu nationalism.
Drawing a parallel between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Modi he said that their campaign and rallies were based on “fear and nationalist feeling”.
Speaking on the BJP manifesto, which talked about removing Article 370 and 35A from Jammu and Kashmir, Khan called it a major concern but said that it might be a poll stunt.
Soon after Khan’s comments, Aam Aadmi Party leaders including Kejriwal and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh took to Twitter to say that if Modi won in India there would be fire crackers in Pakistan. “Why does Pakistan want Modi ji to win? Modiji must tell the country how deep is his relationship with Pakistan? All Indians should know that if Modi ji wins, there will be firecrackers in Pakistan,” Kejriwal wrote.
On the other hand, Singh tweeted: “There are slogans raised in Pakistan–‘Narendra Modi once more. Modi congratulated Imran Khan on Pakistan Day, so he must tell the country what is the secret deal with Pakistan? Why does Imran want Modi to be the Prime Minister?”
Adding that after the Pulwama incident, Modi had congratulated Imram Khan on Pakistan Day, Singh questioned what was the agreement between Khan and Modi.
(With agency reports)
