Conventional war could end up into nuclear conflict between Pak-India: PM Imran

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that if a conventional war breaks out between Pakistan and India, there was every possibility that it could end up into a nuclear conflict which was unthinkable.

In an interview with Al-Jazeera, PM Imran when asked whether the two nuclear countries are at risk of another major conflict, or even war, he said "absolutely", believing war with India could be a possibility.

"Eight million Muslims in Kashmir are under siege for almost now six weeks. And why this can become a flashpoint between India and Pakistan is because what we already know India is trying to do is divert attention from their illegal annexation and their impending genocide on Kashmir," he said.

"They are taking the attention away by blaming Pakistan for terrorism," the prime minister asserted.

He added, "Pakistan would never start a war, and I am clear: I am a pacifist, I am anti-war, I believe that wars do not solve any problems."

"When two nuclear-armed countries fight, if they fight a conventional war, there is every possibility that it is going to end up into nuclear war. The unthinkable," he added.

The prime minister continued, "If say Pakistan, God forbid, we are fighting a conventional war, we are losing, and if a country is stuck between the choice: either you surrender or you fight 'til death for your freedom, I know Pakistanis will fight to death for their freedom. So when a nuclear-armed country fights to the end, to the death, it has consequences."

‘No prospect of resumption of dialogue’

When asked if there was a prospect of a resumption of dialogue, PM Imran ruled out any prospects for the resumption of dialogue with India.

"So that's why we have approached the United Nations, we are approaching every international forum, that they must act right now because this is a potential disaster that would go way beyond the Indian subcontinent," he said.

"There is no question of talking to the Indian government right now after they revoked this article 370 of their own constitution and they annexed Kashmir illegally against the UN Security Council resolution which had guaranteed the people that they would be able to hold a referendum, a plebiscite, to decide their destiny," PM Imran added.

‘Glad I'm a prime minister of u-turn’

"I'm glad they say I'm a prime minister of u-turns. Only an idiot doesn't do any u-turns," PM Imran said. "Only an idiot, when he's on a course and he comes across a brick wall, only that stupid idiot keeps banging his head against a brick wall. An intelligent person immediately revises his strategy and goes around it."