NEW DELHI: Former diplomats and experts slammed Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan for his 50-minute speech at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) — a large part of which was a rant against India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi — saying such comments do not befit a person who is a head of a government.
“It was shocking. Never in the history of the United Nations has any leader used the platform of the UNGA to make personal comments against the leader of a neighbouring country.
It is not in good spirit. Khan’s comments were also against the rules and the spirit of the United Nations,” former Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan G Parthasarathy said.
Another former High Commissioner to Pakistan TCA Raghavan was of the opinion that Khan’s maiden address at the UNGA was in bad taste.
“It was very unbecoming of a head of the government of a neighbouring state to make such comments on such a prestigious platform. The UNGA is not a place where leaders cater to their local populations. It seemed like the Pakistan Prime Minister was trying to rake up the Kashmir issue to play to the tunes of his people back home,” he said.
Echoing his view, a top official of the Centre for Studies of Developing Societies said, “It is very disappointing that a head of a government chose a platform like the UNGA to make such statements. Like India’s permanent mission to the UN pointed out in its rebuttal, it is unworthy of a person to use words like ‘bloodbath’ etc. on such an august platform. Though his speech will not escalate tensions, it was not in the right spirit.”
Khan, in his 50-minute address to the UNGA, warned of “bloodbath” in Kashmir after the restrictions are lifted and drummed up war hysteria, threatening about a possible military confrontation between the two nuclear-armed nations in South Asia.
In a direct attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Khan referred to his links with the RSS, which he accused of “ethnic cleansing of Muslims”. Khan also accused Modi of being arrogant and doing “cruel things”.
Rajnath pokes fun at Imran Khan
The Pakistan Prime Minister is going door-to-door around the world and creating content for cartoonists, while “our progressive steps in J&K are being accepted across the world”, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Saturday.