Former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan on Tuesday suggested that India must act responsibly in the "nuclear flashpoint" region as the two arch-rivals countries face-off amidst warmongering from Indian media. 

 

A statement posted on Imran Khan’s official X (formerly Twitter) account reads, “Being a country of 1.5 billion people, India needs to act responsibly instead of messing with a region already known as ‘nuclear flashpoint’.”

 

Reportedly, Imran Khan told the substance of the statement to his lawyers during a meeting at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi.

 

He recalled that when he was the Prime Minister in 2019, following the “false flag operation incident” in Pulwama in February of that year, his government had offered to extend all-out cooperation to India.

 

“However, India failed to produce any concrete evidence. As I predicted in 2019, the same is happening again after the Pahalgam incident. Instead of introspection and investigation, Modi Sarkar is again placing the blame on Pakistan,” he said.

 

Maintaining that peace is the priority of the country, he cautioned that it should not be mistaken for cowardice. “Pakistan has got all the capabilities to give a befitting response to any Indian misadventure, as My Government, backed by the whole nation, did in 2019,” he claimed.

 

Imran Khan reiterated that India, led by RSS ideology, is a grave threat beyond the region. “Narendra Modi’s aggression has united the people of Pakistan in one voice against Indian hostility… we stand firmly as one Pakistani nation and strongly condemn Modi's war-mongering and his dangerous ambitions that threaten regional peace,” he added.

 

“Indian oppression in Kashmir, intensified after the illegal abrogation of Article 370, has further fueled the Kashmiri people’s desire for freedom.”

 

Read More: ‘Credible intel’ indicates India intends military action against Pakistan within 36 hours: Tarar

 

Separately, the United States (US) State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce said on Tuesday that Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to speak with the foreign ministers of both India and Pakistan.

“We are reaching out to both parties, and telling them of course not to escalate the situation. The secretary is expected to speak with the foreign minister of Pakistan and India as early as today or tomorrow,” the State Department spokesperson said when a journalist posed a question during the press briefing.

Following the Pahalgam incident, without providing verifiable evidence, India has attempted to link Pakistan to the attack. Pakistan has firmly denied the allegations and has offered to participate in a neutral and transparent international investigation.

Bruce said that the Secretary of State is also encouraging other foreign ministers and national leaders to reach out to the nuclear-armed arch rivals in a bid to diffuse tensions, adding that action is being taken every day.