MUZAFFARABAD: Pakistan’s prime minister assured residents of Kashmir on Friday that he will expose years-long Indian oppression and human rights violations in the region when he addresses the UN General Assembly this month.
Imran Khan made the comments in his first speech to a rally in Pakistan-administered Kashmir since the revocation of the special status of the disputed Himalayan region by India on August 5. Some 20,000 people took part.
Khan also requested that rally-goers refrain from marching towards the heavily militarised Line of Control that separates Kashmir between Pakistani and Indian sides, saying they should wait for his call.
“Don’t go to the [Line of Control] until I ask you and I will tell you when to do it,” he said.
Khan was attempting to calm down angry youths who this month clashed with police in Pakistan-administered Kashmir upon being stopped from marching towards the frontier, where Pakistani and Indian troops are in close quarters.
The appeal to angry youths came days after thousands of unarmed young people marched towards the frontier to protest the lockdown in Indian-administered Kashmir, triggering clashes with police.
The rally also comes a day after the country’s military said Indian fire killed one of its soldiers in Kashmir in the latest ceasefire violation.
Khan urged the world community to pressure India to give the right of self-determination to Kashmiris.
In his speech to rally-goers, Khan said if the people in Kashmir were given the right to decide their future, his country would respect their decision, saying they have faced hardships resulting from a curfew that has been in place in Indian-administered Kashmir since last month.
