Imran Khan harps on Kashmir again as Pakistan faces turmoil

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Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan harped on the Kashmir issue again on Wednesday as part of his policy to divert attention from his domestic problems of a collapsing economy, unrest in Balochistan and a strong political opposition seeking his resignation.</p>
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Speaking at a seminar organised by Islamabad-based think tank National Security Division, Khan said that when his government came to power, it did everything to resolve the major issues including the issue of Kashmir.</p>
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"Unfortunately, the events that transpired on August 5 led to a breakdown of all communications with India. There is one issue that is stopping us at this time. We will make our efforts but India must take the first step because after August 5, till they take the first step, we cannot move forward,” Khan said referring to India’s decision to scrap article 370 on August 5, 2019, under which J &K had enjoyed special status.</p>
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Khan clearly wants to keep the pot boiling on Kashmir. He claimed if India gave the people of Kashmir their rights according to the United Nations Security Council resolutions then "the whole region will change and both the countries will benefit."</p>
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Khan is sticking to the age-old Pakistan plot to use Kashmir as an excuse to promote cross-border terrorism.</p>
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This is not the first time that Imran Khan has talked about Kashmir in recent weeks. A day after Pakistan and India had recommitted themselves to the 2003 ceasefire agreement at the Line of Control from the midnight of February 24, Imran Khan had harped on Kashmir during his visit to Sri Lanka.</p>
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India desires normal relations with Pakistan in an environment free of terror, hostility and violence and the onus is on Islamabad to create it, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla had said on Monday.</p>
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India and Pakistan have had little substantive contact since the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks. Efforts by the Modi government to restart dialogue with Islamabad were scuttled by the Pakistani-sponsored terrorist attacks at the Pathankot air base and in Pulwama on the CRPF convoy.</p>
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However, India initiated back channel contacts followed by a meeting between the Director Generals of Military Operations (DGMO) of the two countries to reach an agreement to “revive existing mechanisms of hotline contact and border flag meetings to resolve any unforeseen situation or misunderstanding.”</p>
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Khan’s obsession with Kashmir puts a question mark on how long the fresh commitment to the ceasefire along the LoC can hold especially with the summer approaching and the melting snow on the mountain passes providing points of infiltration to Pakistan-backed terrorists.</p>
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This has been the regular pattern in the past.</p>