New York: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday raised, in fact, repeated the Kashmir issue in his maiden address to the UN General Assembly, his war rhetoric in sharp contrast to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statesman-like message from the same podium a few minutes earlier.
In his speech that went on for about 50 minutes, far exceeding the 15-minute limit for UN speeches during the general debate, Khan devoted half of his address to the Kashmir issue, warning that if there's a face-off between two nuclear-armed neighbours, the consequences would be far beyond their borders.
Here are a few excerpts from his speech:
'NO MILITANT GROUPS IN PAK'
"I know that India keeps saying we have militant organisations, but I invite UN observers to come and see for themselves. Indian Defence Minister says Pakistan has 500 terrorists waiting on the border. What will 500 terrorists do against 900,000 troops?"
'TRIED TO REACH OUT TO MODI'
"Because of cricket, which is followed with great passion in the subcontinent, I have great friends in India. I have always loved going to India. So my first move was to reach out to Modi and I said let us work on our differences, leave our past behind and our main priority should be our people as we have similar problems - poverty and climate change."
'RSS INSPIRED BY HITLER AND MUSSOLINI'
"Narendra Modi is a 'life member' of the RSS. RSS is an organisation inspired by Hitler and Mussolini. They believed in racial superiority the same way that the Nazis believed in the supremacy of the Aryan race."
'FEAR BLOODBATH IN KASHMIR'
"They went against the Indian Constitution and illegally revoked Article 370. What sort of a mindset would lay siege to eight million people? Narendra Modi has done cruel things. Has he thought about it? What will happen when the curfew is lifted? Modi says this is done for the prosperity of Kashmir. But what will happen when Kashmiris come out of lockdown and face 900,000 troops? I fear there will be a bloodbath. Kashmiris will be further radicalised. There will be another Pulwama."
'MUSLIMS IN INDIA WILL BE RADICALISED'
"What does Narendra Modi think? Aren't the Muslims in India watching Kashmiris stuck for 55 days. Don’t you think that 180 million Muslims will be radicalised in India as they see 8 million Kashmiris locked up?"
'IF WAR STARTS, PAK WILL FIGHT'
"Pakistan will be blamed. If a conventional war starts between the two countries, supposing a country seven times smaller than its neighbour faces a question - either you surrender, or you fight till the end. My belief is there is no God but one. We will fight!"
'ISLAMOPHOBIA HAS GROWN SINCE 9/11'
"There are 1.3 billion Muslims in the World. Islamophobia has grown since 9/11 and it is alarming. It is creating divisions. Muslim women wearing Hijab has become a problem. It is happening because certain western leaders equated Islam with terrorism."
'INJUSTICE TO MINORITIES AGAINST ISLAM'
"In Islam, the Prophet announced that everyone was free to practise his religion. It was a sacred duty to protect places of worship of all religions. When a Muslim community is unjust to minorities, it is going against the teachings of our religion."
Read: Imran's anti-India rhetoric at UNGA
