Imran Khan alleges India of snubbing peace efforts due to LS Polls ; says ‘anti-Pak rhetoric gets vote to BJP'

Khan said that the best way for India and Pakistan to sort their differences is by dialogue and that the countries should not even think of war because both are nuclear armed and it would amount to “suiciding”.

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New Delhi: Pakistan has once again raked up the Kashmir issue in front of an international audience and has alleged that Indian government is fuelling people against Pakistan as anti-Pakistan rhetoric fetches votes for them. Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan while talking to broadcaster TRT in Turkey, where he was making his first visit since he came to power in August, said that Pakistan has been rebuffed by India more than once for its peace overtures. The real reason behind it, he said, is the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections. He said: “I feel that this anti-Pakistan rhetoric gets votes to BJP which is Narendra Modi's party”. Khan said that the best way for India and Pakistan to sort their differences is by dialogue and that the countries should not even think of war because both are nuclear armed and it would be “suicide”. “They should not even think of a cold war because cold war can turn hot at any stage and you do not take a chance when two countries have nuclear bombs”, he told the Turkish media. “The only other option is to solve your issues through dialogue. Unfortunately we have not been, we have been rebuffed so far by India and I feel the reason is the Indian elections in April and since the elections are coming in I feel that this anti-Pakistan rhetoric gets votes to BJP which is Narendra Modi's party. I have to say that I am disappointed but again I reiterate: two nuclear armed countries should never think of sorting out the differences through war, ” he told TRT. He then leveled allegations of human rights violation in Kashmir on India and said: “The problem at the moment is also Kashmir. Apart from the Indian elections it's Kashmir. Now in Kashmir the Indian brutality in the last year has just been mind boggling.” He said India is palming off the reaction (of the Kashmiri people against its forces), on Pakistan. He underlined that solution of Kashmir issue lies in dialogue. India has maintained its stand that talks and terror cannot go hand in hand and dialogue with Pakistan cannot begin until it provides a conducive environment.