ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Prime Minister’s Special Assistant on National Security Dr Moeed W. Yusuf has said that Pakistan stands firmly for peace in the region through dialogue but New Delhi’s draconian policies towards Kashmiris have made talks impossible.
In the first interview by a senior Pakistani official to an Indian news outlet since India’s unilateral and illegal actions in Occupied Jammu and Kashmir on August 5, 2019, Dr Moeed Yusuf spoke with India’s renowned journalist Karan Thapar on Tuesday, reiterating Prime Minister Imran Khan’s stance that if India takes one step forward, Pakistan will take two steps forward.
Moeed Yusuf outlined pre-conditions necessary for any dialogue and said that New Delhi must release all political prisoners in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), lift the military siege, reverse the domicile bill and stop all human rights violations against Kashmiris before any dialogue could begin.
The Special Assistant reminded the Indian audiences that today, even pro-India Kashmiri politicians have publicly admitted that no one in IIOJK is willing to live under the Indian occupation anymore.
Dr Yusuf emphasized that Kashmiris remain the principal party in the dispute according to Pakistan and their wishes and aspirations should be addressed in any dialogue.
Drawing a contrast between Pakistan and India, he said that Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government is dedicated to pursuing economic security and connectivity for the prosperity of Pakistan and the region but policymakers in New Delhi remained blind-sighted by the Hindutva ideology.
Moeed Yusuf said that India has lost the neighbourhood because of the expansionist policies of the BJP government while Pakistan is pursuing peace in its neighbourhood.
Responding to Indian allegations about terrorism, Dr Yusuf said that Pakistan has facilitated investigations in all cases pending in courts but India is delaying the investigations by not providing evidence in the case.
Moeed Yusuf said that not finding a resolution to terror cases helped India in its false narrative of terrorism.
Dr Yusuf called out India for being unable to bring the perpetrators of the Samjhauta and Babri Masjid cases, Malegaon blast case, and others to justice while it accused Pakistan of delays which speaks to double standards.
Taking an aggressive approach towards Indian sponsored terrorism in Pakistan, he revealed new details about millions of dollars in payments made to the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) leadership by the RAW Officer through the Indian Embassy funds.
The SAPM on National Security said that Pakistan knows the names and ranks of Officers in touch with terror leadership and will soon reveal Indian activities to the world through a detailed dossier based on lengthy investigations.
Dr Moeed Yusuf also revealed that India financed anti-Pakistan terrorist groups and supported their merger with the TTP earlier this year.
For the first time, Dr Yusuf also blamed India for sponsoring the heinous Army Public School (APS) attack in which over 100 innocent children lost their lives, saying that Pakistan has a record of eight phone calls made from India to the TTP Commander before the attack.
Dr Yusuf added that the Indian intelligence handlers based in a neighbouring country had directed the attacks on the Chinese consulate in Karachi, PC Hotel in Gwadar and the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) attack in the last two years.
The Special Assistant on National Security also revealed how the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) terrorists were receiving treatment in a hospital in New Delhi?
Debunking the latest propaganda by India on Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir issue, Dr Yusuf said that Pakistan stands by the UN Security Council Resolutions as the way forward for resolving the dispute and fulfilling the aspirations of over eight million Kashmiris.
Dr Moeed Yusuf said that the Indian propaganda would not shake the principled stance of Pakistan on the Kashmir issue.
The Special Assistant said that Prime Minister Imran Khan has directed his Office to open space for the government in the region and find solutions to lingering problems but his counterpart in India is pursuing the opposite direction.
Dr Yusuf highlighted that Pakistan stands for peace and will welcome any dialogue with India if the lives of Kashmiris in IIOJK are normalized, Kashmiris are recognized as the rightful principal party in any dialogue, and India stops sponsoring terrorism against Pakistan.
Dr Moeed Yusuf also pointed to Pakistan’s response on February 27, 2019, and warned that any misadventure from India would result in an equally swift response from Pakistan.
