Addressing a gathering in Islamabad on Friday to support the people of Kashmir, Prime Minister Imran Khan said the people of Kashmir would never accept the decision and would come out, once the curfew in the state is lifted.
"Narendra Modi committed a mistake, he has played his last card," said Khan." He (Modi) doesn't know that what the Kashmiri people have faced in the last several decades has eliminated the fear of death among them. Tens of thousands of Kashmiri people will not accept the decision and [will] come out when the curfew is lifted," he added.
Khan lamented about international media's double standards as they gave extensive coverage to the demonstrations in Hong Kong while failing to give the deserved attention to the sufferings of the Kashmiri people.
In August, India stripped its restive state of Jammu and Kashmir of its special status and divided it into two federally administered territories, a move that has upset Pakistan. Islamabad claims, it is a stakeholder in the Kashmir issue and calls New Delhi's decision illegal.
Consequently, Pakistan launched a diplomatic offensive against India, expelling New Delhi's envoy to Islamabad and suspending communications and trade. Prime Minister Imran Khan said, "whether or not the world stands with the Kashmiris, Pakistan will stand with them." He declared that this was a holy war (jihad) to please the Almighty (Allah).
India and Pakistan have been at loggerheads over Kashmir since they attained freedom from British colonial rule in 1947. Both countries rule parts of Kashmir while claiming it in entirety. They have also fought three wars since independence; two of them over Kashmir.
