Imran Khan calls for restoration of Article 370 in J&K

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday urged India to restore Article 370 in Kashmir saying that Kashmiris should be free to decide their own future.

Khan was addressing a rally at Kotli to observe ‘Kashmir Solidarity Day’ when he said he would raise his voice for Kashmir’s aspirations.

“Today, I say to you again. Come resolve this Kashmir dispute with us. And for that, the first thing you must do is to restore Article 370. And then speak to us and then as per the UN Resolution, give the Kashmiris their due right,” he said.

“We are ready to speak to you again. But I say this again. Do not mistake our hand of friendship for weakness. Pakistan belongs to those who bow to no one but God,” he added.

Present on the occasion, President Dr Arif Alvi, said resolution of the Kashmir issue was the “key to durable peace in South Asia”. “We will continue to extend all-out support to the Kashmiris till the realisation of their unalienable right to self-determination”.

The comments came just days after Army Chief Qamar Javed Bajwa expressed the desire for a “dignified” resolution of the Kashmir issue.

The Ministry of External Affairs had said in response that the “onus” for creating “normal neighbourly relations” was on Pakistan.