Nawaz, Musharraf caused irreparable damage to Kashmir cause, Imran claims

• Terms Khawaja Asif ‘security threat’

• Says anti-terror laws cannot be used against protestors

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Tuesday alleged that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif had caused irreparable damage to the Kashmir cause when he attended the oath ceremony of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi but didn’t meet the Hurriyat leadership.

In an interview with Kashmir Narrator, Imran said that Kashmir issue sets the direction and mood of Pakistan-India bilateral relations.

“PTI has always supported the Kashmiris right to self-determination,” Khan said, adding that Modi government is involved in human rights violation in the valley and peace cannot be achieved through violence.

Khan also criticised former president General (r) Pervez Musharraf for causing great damage to the Kashmir dispute by declaring the United Nations resolutions on Kashmir as outdated.

He said: “The UN resolutions continue to be of central relevance in that they reaffirm the legitimacy of the Kashmiris’ right to self-determination. The UN resolutions, therefore, continue to have a central legitimacy and are critical to resolving the conflict.”

Answering a question regarding ties with India, the PTI chief said that nobody in Pakistan is against peaceful and stable relations with India.

“Resolution of Kashmir is however essential for regional peace in South Asia,” he asserted.

KHAWAJA ASIF IS ‘SECURITY THREAT’:

Khan termed Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif a ‘security risk’ to the country.“Presence of Khawaja Asif’s name in the employees of a foreign company is shameful. I have been saying it from the very first day that Khawaja Asif is a security risk for Pakistan”, he said during a meeting at Bani Gala with PTI leader Usman Dar to discuss Khawaja Asif disqualification case.

PTI leader Usman Dar went on to claim that he has received the labour card of the current FM, according to that he is an employee of Abu Dhabi Mechanical Cooperation Limited. His name is at the 303rd position in the employee’s list while the labour card is valid till 28th of June 2019, he further claimed.

The PTI chairman criticised the FM and said, “No Foreign Minister of any  world country  is an employee of a foreign company except Khawaja Asif, and this is shameful.”

ANTI-TERRORISM LAWS CANNOT BE USED AGAINST PROTESTORS:

Imran Khan said that law against terrorism was formed for a specific purpose and it cannot be used against protestors, adding that they are being used wrongly.

Speaking to media outside an accountability court, the PTI head said that this law has been imposed for throwing a shoe at PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif.  He thanked that Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Nawaz Sharif are speaking about free and fair elections.

Imran Khan said elder brother is talking about conspiracy while younger brother is appreciating and trying to hold secret meetings. He further stated that the demand of South Punjab is justified as 75 per cent of the budget is being spent on Lahore.