Islamabad: Pakistan continued to court controversy as one of its ministers has said that any country which will support India over the Kashmir issue will be hit by a missile by his country and considered as an ‘enemy’ of Islamabad.
“If tensions with India rise on Kashmir, Pakistan will be compelled to go to war. Those countries backing India and not Pakistan (over Kashmir) will be considered our enemy and a missile will be fired at India and those nations supporting it,” Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit Baltistan Ali Amin Gandapur said at an event Tuesday.
A part of the video in which the cricketer-turned-politician is making the controversial remark has been tweeted by Pakistan-based journalist Naila Inayat.
Minister for Kashmir Affairs, Gandapur is back and how: "any country that will not stand with Pakistan over Kashmir will be considered our enemy and missiles will be fired at them as well, in case of war with India."
I hope Trump received the message. pic.twitter.com/lcwuZwJiNq— Naila Inayat (@nailainayat) October 29, 2019
It should be stated here Gandfapur’s rhetoric on Kashmir issue comes at a time when Pakistan has received global backlash on the issue. Islamabad has unilaterally downgraded bilateral ties after it cried foul over New Delhi’s move to abrogate Article 370 that granted special powers to Jammu and Kashmir.
India has maintained that the decision is its internal matter, a stance which has been supported by several countries, including the SAARC nations and the Arab World.
The Pak minister has also admitted that Pakistan has failed in its attempt to internationalise the Kashmir issue. Gandapur said that he is disappointed with the world community over the matter. In other words, he also criticised some of the senior ministers of the Pakistan government, including Prime Minister Imran Khan for failing to place the Kashmir issue on the international forum properly.
Agencies