Khan claims Pakistan ‘doesn’t fear death,’ as Modi maintians stony silence

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has escalated his no-holds-barred verbal assault on nuclear rival India, as tensions once again reach boiling point over the disputed territory of Kashmir.

In recent days, Khan warned the Indian government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that “no force can stop” Pakistan from achieving its goals, adding that India will “fail miserably in its attempt to smother the Kashmiri liberation struggle.”

Khan’s comments began during Pakistan’s Independence Day on Wednesday, when he visited Pakistan-administered Azad Jammu and Kashmir to express solidarity with Muslims in the region. He has ramped up the war of words on Twitter ever since, culminating in a tweetstorm on Friday.  

“The fascist, Hindu supremacist (Narendra) Modi government should know that while armies, militants and terrorists can be defeated by superior forces; history tells us that when a nation unites in a freedom struggle and does not fear death, no force can stop it from achieving its goal,” Khan proudly declared.

He also took aim at the international community on Thursday, tweeting about the potential for a “Srebrenica-style massacre” in Kashmir following the Indian government-imposed communications blackout. 

Meanwhile, Indian media is reporting that New Delhi’s response to the slew of verbal tirades from the Pakistani PM has been “stinging silence.”

The standoff comes after India revoked Article 370 of its constitution which afforded special status and semi-autonomy to the Jammu and Kashmir region. It has since enforced trade barriers, cut off transport links and ordered a communications blackout in Indian-controlled Kashmir. 

During a 92-minute speech marking India’s Independence celebrations on Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not mention Pakistan once, in marked contrast to Imran Khan’s Pakistan Independence Day speech the previous day.

Modi did, however, address the situation in Kashmir, saying that “fresh thinking” is needed after seven decades of failure to ensure peace in the region. “We do not believe in creating problems or prolonging them,” he said. 

On Thursday, yet more violence broke out along the disputed border region, with claims from both sides that they inflicted casualties on their opponents met with denials. 

According to the Pakistani military, at least three of its soldiers and five Indian soldiers died in an exchange of gunfire. Delhi denies the events even took place.

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