‘Take Hitler & Napoleon, who failed to conquer Russia’: Imran Khan invokes world history to fend off Modi’s ‘bite the dust’ remark
Pakistani premier Imran Khan has rebuffed his Indian counterpart’s claims that it would take 10 days at most to take down Pakistan, citing the past failures of French general Napoleon Bonaparte and Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.
“Narendra Modi, you need to brush up on your history. It seems your degree was fake,” Imran Khan said on Thursday, before showing off his own knowledge on the subject.
Leaders who have shown such pride have always been defeated in the past … [take] the failure of Hitler’s and Napoleon’s forces to permeate Russia.
Even the world’s most powerful military – namely, the American one – failed to win the Vietnam War and made no gains during the 19-year war in Afghanistan, he added.
The bizarre comparison – though not unusual for Khan’s rhetoric on Modi – came after the Indian premier maintained that it “won’t take more than a week – 10 days to make Pakistan bite the dust” if a war breaks out between the rival neighbors.
Khan went on to say that a potential Indian Blitzkrieg won’t stand a chance, because the nature of Pakistani people will make all the difference.
We will show you how we can fight … our army is well-recognized, battle-hardened. Our people are God-fearing … none of us fear death. Just remember, every citizen of this 200-million-strong nation, down to the last child, will fight to their last breath.
This is the first time Khan has referred to Napoleon’s 1812 war on Russia, but not the first – and probably not the last – time he has likened Modi’s policies to those of Hitler. Last month, the prime minister controversially claimed that the latest developments in India bear a “striking resemblance to what happened in Nazi Germany” in the 1930s.
Two of the main reasons for Khan’s inflammatory rhetoric have been India’s decision to withdraw the special status of Kashmir, and the adoption of a new legislation that offers fast-track Indian citizenship to religious minorities from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. Those minorities don’t include Muslims, who make up the majority of the population in those countries.
Also on rt.com Modi launches #IndiaSupportsCAA hashtag to promote support for citizenship actNew Delhi insists that the move is non-discriminatory and has nothing to do with the rights of Indian Muslims. Modi, for his part, has said the legislation is necessary on humanitarian grounds and reflects India’s culture of compassion. He also warned against believing “rumors” spread by the opposition.
The Indian Prime Minister maintained lifting the special status of Kashmir had removed “an artificial wall” between the region and the rest of the country. He is confident that incorporating the autonomous state will help quell the Islamist insurgency, boost economic growth, and bring about “a new age of political stability” in Kashmir.
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