Pak PM attempts to rake up Kashmir at OIC meet on Afghanistan

Rather than focusing on keeping his own house in order, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan once again tried to push the notorious Kashmir agenda during the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meet, where he called on member states to make a “unified plan” for the region.

Speaking at the 17th Extraordinary Session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers here, Khan said the people of Palestine and Kashmir want to see a unified response from the Muslim world about their democratic and human rights. Pakistan PM said OIC must play its role to help the world understand the teachings of Islam and “our love and affection for the last Prophet Hazrat Mohammad”, according to The News International.

This comes at a time when Imran Khan is barely managing to govern his own country. On one hand, soaring inflation and price rise of commodities has riled the rank and file of the country. On other hand, the unsuccessful negotiations of the ruling PTI government with outfits like Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan and Tehreek-E-Labbaik Pakistan has raised concerns about a possible spike in extremism in the country.

Sunday’s OIC-led conference was the biggest international gathering on Afghanistan since the Taliban took over the country in mid-August following US military drawdown from the country after two decades.

This meeting came at a time when Pakistan is rallying 57-member OIC to help Afghanistan stave off a crisis while at the same time trying to convince the Taliban led Afghanistan to soften its image abroad.

Under the garb of humanitarian agenda, experts believe that Pakistan is attempting to push the interim Afghanistan government towards international recognition despite little progress on the human rights front by the outfit.

In a meeting, that was organised to discuss the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, Imran Khan used the big stage for his own political ends.

Mentioning the presence of the Islamic State (IS) in Afghanistan, the Pakistan PM said the only way to handle the terror outfit was a stable Afghanistan. He said ISIS was capable of carrying out international attacks.

Rejecting Pakistan PM’s remarks on terrorism in his country, former Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai on Sunday said that the landlocked country has been facing ISIS’s threat from Pakistan, according to TOLOnews.

Reacting to Khan’s remarks, the former Afghan president said these allegations are not true. ISIS from the beginning has been threatening Afghanistan from Pakistan, not the other way around, Karzai added.