Pakistan’s President Arif Alvi has endorsed Malaysian Prime MinisterMahathir Mohamad’s proposal for a joint venture between Malaysia, Turkeyand Pakistan to unite the Muslim world.
In an exclusive interview with Anadolu Agency in the capital Islamabad,Alvi said the Malaysian premier’s proposal is very important and jointventure of three big Muslim countries would help the Muslim world.
He also thanked the Turkish government and people of Turkey for theirsupport on Kashmir issue.
Pakistan in on Malaysian leader’s joint venture bid
Q: Mr President, could you tell us what’s the Indian aim behind the currentmove in Kashmir of removing its special status and dividing it into twounion territories? And what is the possible solution of this long-standingissue, if India would not follow UNSC resolutions?
Arif Alvi: First of all, I must thank the government of Turkey and thepeople of Turkey of having stood by the people of Pakistan in all times ofneed and for taking very bold stand on Kashmir, exactly reflecting on thelaw and 11 United Nations resolutions on Kashmir.
The Indian prime minister [Jawaharlal Nehru] when he went to the UnitedNations on the Kashmir issue. He went to the UN and promised a plebiscitein Kashmir to ask for the opinion of Kashmiri people on their fate and theykept on promising the same until the mid-’60s. But later, the Indiangovernment started changing [its attitude] and then Pakistan and India wentinto Simla Agreement which meant bilateral discussions. But, [since then]at all international forums India discourages discussions.
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Even India has labeled Kashmiris’ movement as a terrorist movement and youunderstand and my Turkish brothers will understand it very well that is howillegally they have labeled all freedom struggles, which are recognized bythe UN, to be terrorist movements. That is what India tried to do.
But despite that, since 1972 when we got into the Simla accord, India hasnot held a single meeting on Kashmir and today they make a statement thatKashmir is an integral part of India. That’s not the only issue whichworries me, the issue which worries me is that [Indian Prime MinisterNarendra] Modi’s government subscribes to an RSS [Rashtriya SwayamsevakSangh] philosophy which is very similar to [Adolph] Hitler’s philosophy ofethnic cleansing of handing the minorities and suppressing them. After theGujarat riots, after which no democratic government in the world was readyto give Modi a visa, that pattern continues [in India]. That patterncontinues in Kashmir, even in Assam, making the people of Assam and Bengal– about 4 million Muslims — stateless.
Recently, about two weeks ago, the UN said that you should not be makingthe people stateless, all the Muslims. But still he [Modi] targeted theminorities. Entire action is not only targeted to Muslims, also question ofall minorities. If you make the people stateless, if you suppress theMuslims in India, if you suppress the Muslims in Kashmir and the minoritiesin all of India, India is treading a very dangerous path.
Again, I am thankful to the government of Turkey and President Erdogan whocalled me when the Pulwama incident became a crisis. I am grateful toPresident Erdogan for having called me and for having understood and takingpride in the fact that Pakistan with stood the onslaught of India
