5 Imran Khan statements at UNGA that reflected a 'medieval mindset'

On Saturday, India's First Secretary Vidisha Maitra gave an address at the United Nations General Assembly in US' New York with respect to Pakistan PM Imran Khan's speech which was mostly an anti-India rant, especially over the integration of Kashmir into India. Pakistan PM's hypocrisy was exposed as he fearmongered about the curfew placed for civilians safety in Kashmir and India electing (unlike 'selecting' in case of Pakistan) a party with ties to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. Imran Khan reminisced about the second World War and spoke about there being a feeling of racial superiority in certain organisations, and condoning violence against security forces

India slams Pakistan PM Imran Khan for 'medieval mindset'

In India's Right to Reply, First Secretary Vidisha Maitra laid bare the Pakistan PM's medieval mentality of justifying violence instead of bringing in a bright future for his country and the world through initiatives in education and economy. "Rarely has the General Assembly witnessed such misuse, rather abuse, of an opportunity to reflect. Words matter in diplomacy. Invocation of phrases such as “pogrom”, “bloodbath”, “racial superiority”, “pick up the gun” and “fight to the end” reflect a medieval mindset and not a 21st-century vision," the First Secretary said. Below are some of the statements by Imran Khan harking back to medieval times of violent rampages and bloodshed.

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Below are the five statements made by Imran Khan that show a regressive approach of the Pakistan PM

Fearmongering about violence

Imran Khan said that if there was a “bloodbath”, it would lead to radicalisation further in Kashmir and also the wider Islamic world. Imran Khan's constant mention and attempts to normalise violence was condemned by India, especially since he himself spoke of his backgound of being well versed with the Western world and modernity. "For someone who was once a cricketer and believed in the gentleman’s game, today’s speech bordered on crudeness of the variety that is reminiscent of the guns of Darra Adam Khel,"First Secretary Maitra said.

Justifying radicalisation

Imran Khan justified the radicalisation among youth in Jammu and Kashmir which indicated the tacit support of Pakistan to terror elements infiltrating the region. Speaking about violence and terrorism in the valley, Imran Khan said, “I picture myself. I am in Kashmir. Locked up for 55 days. I have heard about rapes. Indian Army going into homes. Would I want to live with this humiliation?  I would pick up a gun. You are forcing people into radicalisation. If people lose the will to live, what do they live for?” India hit back at Pakistan over this statement as it also showed hypocrisy of Khan. Pakistan is considered to be the world's major terror hub. She said, "Even coming from the leader of a country that has monopolized the entire value chain of the industry of terrorism, Prime Minister Khan’s justification of terrorism was brazen and incendiary

Hyperbole in Semantics

Imran Khan when two decades back in the past to a tragedy in Gujarat, a state which has always thrived and led India to economic development. Trying to up his ante against PM Narendra Modi, who has been voted thrice as the chief minister, he said, “It was this ideology of hate allowed Modi to go for progrom that killed 2000 Muslims.” India reminded Khan that the 21st century has democracies and not phenomena like porgroms. "Pogroms, Prime Minister Imran Khan Niazi, are not a phenomenon of today’s vibrant democracies," First Secretary Maitra said. She also reminded the Pakistan PM about its own history of violence during the 1971 war against Bangladesh which was then East Pakistan.

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Rationalising use of nuclear weapons

Imran Khan also rationalised the use of nuclear weapons against India. Imagining a situation of war between India and Pakistan, he said the scope of the damage would extend to the use of nuclear weapons. Fearmongering an apocalypse like situation, he said that a Pakistan would fight to the end. “My answer is … we will fight. And when a nuclear country fights to the end, it will have consequences far beyond its border”. First Secretary Maitra said that such warmongering statement shows the brinksmanship of the Pakistan's PM." Prime Minister Khan’s threat of unleashing nuclear devastation qualifies as brinksmanship, not statesmanship," she said.

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Harkening back to primitive ideas of 'racial superiority'

Imran Khan took the audience to the World War era, again fearmongering about RSS. He ascribed the organisation with having a belief of racial superiority. “It (RSS) is an organisation inspired by Hitler and Mussolini. They believe in racial purity and superiority. They believe in the ethnic cleansing of Muslims and Christians."

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