Despite Jaish claim, Imran Khan wants proof of Pak hand in Pulwama attack
Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, in a nationwide address on Tuesday, said India has held Pakistan responsible for the Pulwama attack without any evidence.
He said he guarantees action if there is any evidence to prove Pakistan's involvement in the attack. "It is in our interest that nobody from our soil spreads violence. I want to tell the Indian government that I will take action if actionable intelligence is found against anyone from Pakistan. They are our enemy too," he said.
Khan, however, did not address the issue that the Jaish-e-Mohammad, run freely in Pakistan by its leader Maulana Masood Azhar, has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Khan began his statement by addressing India. “My statement is for the Indian government. You (Indian govt) have blamed us without any evidence,” Imran Khan said.
Khan stressed the need for stability for his country and not terror. “Pakistan ko isse kya faayda hai? Kyu Pakistan karega iss stage ke upar jab Pakistan stability ki taraf ja raha hai? (What does Pakistan gain from this attack when it is moving towards stability?)”
On a threatening note, Khan said Pakistan would retaliate if India attacked, but soon lowered his tone to say: “We all know starting a war is in the hands of humans. Only God knows where it will lead us. This issue should be solved through dialogue.”
New Delhi has repeatedly furnished evidence of Pakistan hand in attacks on India. Pakistan has done nothing so far to take action against who India has given proof. Apart from Masood Azhar, 26/11 mastermind Hafeez Saeed continues to be free or under shan house arrest in Pakistan. They have also addressed anti-India rallies.
Khan said that he understood it was India's election year and the narrative of blaming Pakistan would make it easier to get votes from the masses but he hoped that “better sense would prevail” and that India would be open to dialogue.
He said Delhi holds Pakistan responsible each time an incident happens in Kashmir and makes Pakistan its ‘whipping boy’. “The Kashmir issue like the Afghan issue will be resolved through talks,” he said.
This was Imran Khan's first-ever statement on the worst attack on Indian forces. A local school dropout of 19 years on February 14, rammed his explosive-laden vehicle into a CRPF convoy killing 40 jawans.
Khan said Pakistan was ready for talks with India on terrorism. “I say it clearly this is a naya (new) Pakistan with a new mindset,” he said. “India talks about including terrorism in dialogue with Pakistan. Terrorism is a big issue facing this region and we want to eliminate it,” Khan said. “If someone is using Pakistan's soil [to carry out terror attacks elsewhere], it is enmity with us. It is against our interests.”
He said he did not respond to India's allegations as he was busy with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's visit to the country. “India accused Pakistan without any evidence and without thinking how this [attack] would benefit us,” he added. “Would even a fool try to sabotage such an important visit as that of the Saudi crown prince?” the prime minister asked. “We have been fighting against terrorism for the past 15 years. How will Pakistan benefit from such incidents?"
On the Kashmir issue, Khan said: “Kashmiris are not afraid of death anymore. There must be a reason for that. Should there not be a discussion in India on this?” he asked. “Which law in the world allows everyone to become a judge and jury?”
Questioning whether India “wants to resolve the issue through military”, Khan said, “This has never been a successful measure.”
