Powered by
Sponsored by

Imran Khan rakes up Kashmir issue, days after border peace pact

Pakistan PM puts onus on India for maintaining peace

imran-khan-ap231020 Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan

Pakistan is at it again. Days after Director-General of Military Operations (DGMOs) talks between India and Pakistan agreed on ceasefire and peace along the Line of Control (LoC), Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan once again raked up the Kashmir issue by putting onus on India for maintaining peace.

"The onus of creating an enabling environment for further progress rests with India. India must take necessary steps to meet the long-standing demand and right of the Kashmiri people to self-determination according to UNSC resolutions," Imran Khan said as he welcomed the restoration of the ceasefire along the LoC.

Meanwhile, Pakistan military has leaked out a new video of Wing Commander Abhinandan who was captured by the Pakistani army while engaging in an aerial dog-fight with its air force a day after the Balakot strike. It was similar to the other video, shot by Pakistan during Wing Commander Abhinandan's captivity. The latest two-minute long video appears to be doctored as it has 16 cuts.

In the video, leaked on the second anniversary of his capture, wing commander Abhinandan- a Vir Chakra awardee- was saying, "There is war when there isn’t peace. I don’t know how to bring peace, but I just know that we need peace. I see no reason for us (India and Pakistan) to continue with any kind of hostilities. There must be peace.”

The latest mischievous video coincides with the joint declaration by armies of India and Pakistan on restoration of peace along the border. Reacting swiftly to the propaganda video, senior Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir tweeted: “I see no reason for us to continue with hostility, I think India and Pakistan need peace.” 

On Thursday, South Block, which houses the ministry of defence in New Delhi, stated that India and Pakistan armies have agreed to cease firing along the Line of Control (LoC) from midnight of February 24-25.

Globally, the reinforcement of the 2003 ceasefire between India and Pakistan has been welcomed by the likes of the United States, the United Nations and the European Union. While the US said it viewed the ceasefire agreement as a 'positive' step towards greater peace and stability in South Asia, the UN maintained that the secretary-general was encouraged by the joint statement. 

Similarly, the European Union called it an important step in the interest of regional peace and stability on which to further bilateral dialogue.

The Director Generals of Military Operations of the two countries agreed to observe ceasefire “in the interest of achieving mutually beneficial and sustainable peace along the borders." This was agreed between the DGMOs of India and Pakistan who held discussions over the hotline, a joint statement read on Thursday. “The two sides reviewed the situation along the Line of Control and all other sectors in a free, frank and cordial atmosphere.”

The development comes amid the military face off on the Line of Actual Control between India and China. At the same time, Pakistan has been desperate to infiltrate militants from its side into India. It is notable that Pakistan resorted to 5,133 incidents of ceasefire violations in 2020 in which 46 security force personnel were killed. In the first two months of the current year, more than 400 such incidents of ceasefire violations have happened. 




📣 The Week is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@TheWeekmagazine) and stay updated with the latest headlines