Imran warns Modi against any ‘misadventure’ at LoC

Tariq Butt

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday once again warned that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will “definitely” carry out an action of some sort in Azad Kashmir to divert the world’s attention from two of his government’s recently introduced citizenship laws that have drawn massive protest across India.

He was addressing a public gathering in Pind Dadan Khan in Jhelum district, hours after the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) reported that two Pakistan Army soldiers were martyred in Indian ceasefire violations along the restive Line of Control (LoC) in Dewa sector.

Director General of ISPR Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor identified the martyred soldiers as Naib Subedar Kandero and Sepoy Ehsan.

In response to Indian ceasefire violations during the past 36 hours, the ISPR said, Pakistan Army troops damaged an Indian post in Haji Pir Sector and killed three Indian soldiers including a subedar. Additionally, ISPR said, a few had also been injured.

The LoC has been frequently witnessing ceasefire violations in a serious breach of the 2003 truce agreement between the two armies, causing mainly civilian casualties in different areas of Azad Kashmir along the restive dividing line

On Monday, Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa visited the LoC in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, where he said that the armed forces are “fully prepared to thwart any misadventure” or aggression for the country’s defence.

The visit came as Indian and Pakistani troops had been exchanging fire across the restive border, with casualties caused on both sides.

“Our quest for peace must never be misconstrued as weakness,” the army chief was quoted as saying in a tweet by the ISPR director general.

While extending condolences to the families of the two martyred personnel, Khan said the violence that has been taking place at the border is not occurring in isolation.

He said Modi had virtually imprisoned eight million residents of Indian-occupied Kashmir after revoking the region’s special autonomy and has now introduced two laws - the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) - which have attracted large-scale protests for being against India’s 200 million Muslims.

“I have been telling the world for the past five months that the Modi-RSS government, in order to divert the world attention away from occupied Kashmir and the protests against the new laws, will definitely conduct some sort of action in Azad Kashmir,” the prime minister told the crowd.

The prime minister said he has informed army chief of the threat, and Bajwa has repeatedly told him that the armed forces are “ready for them (India). Pakistan is ready for them.”

The premier said that 2020 will be the year of economic progress and job growth for Pakistan, after his government stabilised the economy in the outgoing year.

“The next year will be one of progress for Pakistan. It will be a year when jobs will be given to people.”

He admitted that the current year had proven difficult for the poor. He credited his government’s policies, saying exports and remittances were continuously on the rising trend. He said the government had to use up the tax money that it collected and give it to international donors as the country had sought heavy loans from them.

“In 2019, we stabilised our economy,” he said. “God willing, 2020 will be the year when prosperity comes to Pakistan.”

Khan lashed out at political opponents for wasting Pakistan’s resources when they were in government. He said that not everyone could bring about reforms because “the corrupt mafia stands in the way.”

“Some people [political opponents] fear that if this government succeeds, they will go to jail. Some journalists who made money and benefited from the old system are also against our government.”

He said that “a bad time” was about to come for the corrupt mafia. The prime minister took an indirect gibe at opposition leaders by saying that those who had gathered at the container against him to save their looted wealth will once again feel the sting as the government will take action against them.