Prime Minister Imran Khan says Pakistan wants India to act as a civilized neighbor so that negotiations can begin, to Indian journalist in response to a question at Tashkent in Uzbekistan on Friday.
An Indian journalist apparently from Asian News International (ANI) asked how terrorism and peace negotiations can go together between India and Pakistan. The journalist added that this is a question being asked to you from India. To which, PM Imran Khan said that Pakistan has been waiting patiently for India to act civilized so that peace negotiations can begin between the two countries but RSS ideology always obstructs the path.
Crystal clear message to @PMOIndia. Pakistan under @ImranKhanPTI is all for love & peace while India under @narendramodi is all for hate and extremismpic.twitter.com/OcNgjxDOmY
— Dr Arslan Khalid (@arslankhalid_m) July 16, 2021
Read more: ‘Pakistan Jindabad’ slogans raised in India during Samajwadi Party rally
It was the crisp response from PM Imran Khan to the Indian journalist regarding the Pakistan-India relationships. A small video clip of his conversation with the journalist has been doing rounds on social media since then. Some other videos show Indian journalists chased and heckled PM Imran Khan to answer more of their questions when he refused to talk further.
He walked off with his delegation. Federal Minister Sheikh Rasheed can be heard asking Indian journalists to stop asking more questions. The same video had been posted on ANI’s Twitter account as well in which they claim that PM Imran Khan refused to answer the questions of allegations against Pakistan of controlling Taliban in Afghanistan.
There has been an uproar from the Indian side as they say PM Imran Khan has blamed RSS for troubled relations between India and Pakistan in the recent past. Indians demand the Indian government to respond to the assertions of PM Imran Khan in an official statement.
Terrible conduct by Indian journalist, it's not your talk show where you can shout and demand a reply. https://t.co/5RK97DoL5q
— Aisha Saeed (@MsAishaK) July 16, 2021
Meanwhile, PM Imran Khan has been receiving praise in Pakistan for defending the country courageously with a bold response to the allegations leveled by Indian media against Pakistan for sponsoring terrorism in Afghanistan and the region, that too during an international conference.
This is not the first time, Prime Minister Imran Khan has called out the ultranationalistic, jingoistic politics of RSS and BJP. Several times in his various interviews, he has discussed how he wishes for the resolution of the Kashmir issue and cordial relations between the two countries. But at the same time, he has shown his steadfastness on not compromising the interests of Pakistan and not let its image be tainted with the allegations of sponsoring cross-border terrorism, just to settle relations with India.
Read more: Indian photojournalist Danish Siddiqui killed in recent clashes in Afghanistan
On the other hand, PM Imran Khan joined regional leaders at a conference held in Uzbekistan’s capital Tashkent, aimed towards reinforcing close ties among the Central and South Asian nations.
The Plenary meeting of the gathering named ‘Central and South Asia Regional Connectivity, Challenges and Opportunities held at Congress Center, was attended by President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, President of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani, the foreign ministers and high representatives of the countries of Central and South Asia, and the heads of international and regional organizations and global financial institutions.