NEW YORK: The special aircraft given to Prime Minister Imran Khan by Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman for his visit to the United States made an emergency landing at the John F. Kennedy International Airport after countering a technical fault.
A Pakistani delegation, including Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, is accompanying the premier.
Prior to his departure, PM Khan called on UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres at the UN headquarters in New York.
Commending the UN Secretary General for his clear articulation of the UN position on Kashmir dispute, the Prime Minister briefed him on the 54-days long siege of over eight million Kashmiris amidst communications blackout. “Such draconian lock-down had no parallel in recent history, and the need for its immediate lifting could not be stressed enough.”
The Prime Minister reiterated Pakistan’s rejection of Indian illegal and unilateral actions of 5 August as these were in clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions.
Certain western leaders have equated terrorism with Islam: PM Imran at UNGA
Prime Minister Imran Khan while addressing the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly at the UN Headquarters here, said that there was no such thing like radical Islam and Muslims believe on only one Islam, that is Islam of the teachings of our Holy Prophet (PBUH).
“What is radical Islam? There is only one Islam. Every community has radicals. The Jews has radicals, The christen has radicals. Why only Islam?” he asked.
He said that certain western leaders were involved in equating terrorism with Islam.
“The Muslim world didn’t explain to the world that there is nothing such as radical Islam,” he said, adding that the West maligned the religion of Muslims and spread hate speech against Muslims.
PM Khan told the world on the UN platform that hatred against Muslims was created after the incident of 9/11 and it continues till this day.
“Islamophobia started after 9/11. Majority of suicide attacks before 9/11 were committed by Tamil Tigers who are Hindus. Islam has been portrayed as an intolerant religion in the West,” he said.
“Terrorism has nothing do with any religion. Islamophobia is marginalizing Muslim communities in West and we know that marginalization leads towards radicalization. I blame a certain section of people in West for provoking sentiments for Muslims.”
While explaining the importance of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) for Muslims, the premier said that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is the ideal which we Muslims strive to follow.
“The pain of the heart is far more painful than any physical pain. And we feel it when anyone [specially West] talks something ridiculous about our Holy Prophet (PBUH),” he said, adding, “Holocaust is treated in the West as a sensitive matter because it hurts Jews. Muslims also demand such sensitive towards the sanctity of Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).”
PM Khan also made it clear that no Pakistani was involved in the World Trade Centre (9/11) incident.
“No Pakistani was involved in 9/11 attacks. Taliban and Al Qaeda were based in Afghanistan but 70,000 Pakistanis were killed in the war against terrorism. We are still fighting this war,” he said and added that he invites the United Nations to send observers to inspect Pakistan’s dismantlement of militant outfits.
Talking about Kashmir issue and grave human rights violations in the occupied valley, PM Khan slammed the Indian premier Narendra Modi saying that main point of his speech was about Indian-occupied Kashmir.
“The fourth point of my speech is about Kashmir, when I joined PM office, my first priority was to turn Pakistan as a peaceful country,” he said.
“Kashmiri people will be out on the streets once the curfew is lifted. Indian security forces will kill them in response. It will further radicalize Kashmiri people and raise the possibility of Pulwama attack.”
“What impact 500 terrorists will make to 900,000 security forces personnel? the premier asked in response to Indian allegation of Pakistan sending 500 terrorists in Kashmir.”
“What would have been the reaction of Jews if 8000 Jews would have been imprisoned like Kashmiri people? What would have been the reaction of Europeans? Are we children of lesser gods?”
“I think we are back to 1939 when Czechoslovakia was annexed by Germany. Will the world stand up for human rights or appease a 1.3 billion market?”
“I demand that India lift the inhumane curfew,” Khan said.
Khan also lashed out at Modi for being a member of Indian RSS and said: “RSS was founded inspired by Adolf Hitler, this RSS believes in racial superiority and hatred for the Muslims for ruling India in the past.”
“RSS ideology murdered great Mahatma Gandhi and enabled Narendra Modi to do a pogrom in 2002,” he said.
He also mocked the Indian prime minister for claiming to have attacked terrorist camp in Balakot, saying that it was quite painful when India bombed innocent trees in Pakistan.
“They [India] claimed that they have destroyed terrorist camp in Pakistan. Okay, so where are the terrorists that you killed? Instead, we found our innocent trees bombed by Indian jets,” he said, adding that Pakistan has always faced loses when India tried to play games.
“India tried to spy on us. They sent their spy Kulbushan Jadhav to spark extremism in Balochistan province. We caught him and went through the proper procedure to file a case against the spy and Indian government.”
“When they didn’t get enough, they sent their fighter jets to launch an attack on us. Maybe they didn’t know that Pakistan was capable of ruining their jets as well as their intentions. We downed their jets and captured their pilot.”
“However, we released the Indian pilot as a goodwill gesture. But India still plans to attack Pakistan. I know it will keep the same intention against Pakistan. I want to tell Mr. Modi, that we will wait,” Khan asserted.
News Pakistan