INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
NEW YORK: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday commenced his address to the UN General Assembly (UNGA) speaking about the climate emergency
the world faces at present and urging the United Nations "to take leadership for this".Terming it an "urgent problem that the world must
address", PM Imran said: "I feel there a lack of seriousness, perhaps some of the leaders who can do a lot, do not realise the urgency of
the situation."Billions of dollars siphoned off by ruling eliteThe second issue, which the Pakistani premier termed as "even more critical",
was how "every year, billions of dollars leave the poor countries and go towards rich countries".PM Imran said: "Billions of dollars [are]
siphoned off by the ruling elite to Western countries."Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan arrives to address the United Nations General
Assembly at UN headquarters in New York City, US, September 27, 2019
Drew Angerer/Getty Images/AFPHe told the world leaders that money-laundering, "which happens because money leaves poor countries and goes to
rich countries," was devastating the developing world, causing more poverty and deaths, and impoverishing those countries
Kashmir part and parcel of our soulThe PM called for the rich countries of the world to "show political will" and asked how were the poor
countries expected to spend money on human development in accordance with what the UN asks when money left the developing
countries.IslamophobiaNoting that there were 1.3 billion Muslims in the world, PM Imran explained that Islamophobia, "since 9/11, has grown
at a pace which is alarming".This menace, he said, was creating a division
The premier, highlighting hypocrisy around the world, said: &A women can take off her clothes but cannot put on more clothes?&Hijab has
become an issue in some countries … it is seen as a weapon,& he said.PM Imran said there were terms like radical Islam and Islamic
terrorism and that was what was contributing to the spread of Islamophobia.Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan addresses the United Nations
General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York City, US, September 27, 2019
Drew Angerer/Getty Images/AFP"How is a person in New York, in Midwest in the US, or in Europe, how is he going to distinguish" between the
two versions of Islam considering the rise ofIslamophobia, PM Imran asked."Terrorism has nothing to do with any religion," he emphasised
The term, he noted, was "used by some leaders [and] it has caused pain among the Muslims."Muslim countries watch Islamophobia travelling
[and spreading and] it is getting worse," he said
"In the European countries, it is marginalising the communities and marginalisation leads to radicalisation."After 9/11, it came as war
against radical Islam [but] in all communities, there are radicals," the PM said, adding that Islamophobia had bumped the hatred against the
Muslim community and that it was almost like physical pain.'Most critical' Kashmir issueHis fourth — and the "most critical" of issues
during the UNGA speech — was to draw the world's attention to the emerging humanitarian crisis in Indian occupied Kashmir.PM Imran said:
"This is the reason why I especially came here; it is about what is happening in Kashmir."I want to make one thing clear that when we came
to power, my first priority was that Pakistan would be a country that will try its best to bring peace
We had been through this war on terror," he added."We went though a nightmare
70,000 people were killed
No Pakistani was involved in 9/11
The Taliban were in Afghanistan, Al-Qaeda was in Afghanistan."When we came to power, we decided that we would dismantle what was left of
these groups," he added.Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan addresses the United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York
City, US, September 27, 2019
Drew Angerer/Getty Images/AFPThe premier then went on to talk about how India, under the guise of "Islamic terrorism", was inflicting more
cruelty on the Kashmiri people
"There is no other narrative left for India,& he stressed, adding that there was probability of another Pulwama-like incident from New Delhi
to blame and "bomb" Islamabad.Due to these issues, the eight million people under a curfew, as well as the communication and media blackout,
in the valley were likely to get radicalised, he warned.PM Imran is in New York as part of his week-long visit to the US, where he has held
meetings with US President Donald Trump, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, and Malaysian PM Mahathir
Mohammad, pressing them to raise the issue of Kashmir at the UN.During his discussions with the global leaders, media interaction, and
speeches, he also spoke of climate change, solving the Afghan imbroglio, and the crisis in the Gulf region.It is noteworthy that PM Imran's
Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, addressed the UNGA session ahead of him.Read more:TheIndianSubcontinent has not verified the content of
This first appeared/also appeared in
https://feedproxy.google.com/~r/com/YEor/~3/vtwAhTJJjbo/532930-live-at-unga-pm-imran-highlights-kashmir-islamophobia-and-climate-change
