Despite Massive Floods Pakistan Denies Help from India
Pakistan’s PM Shehbaz Sharif has ruled out the possibility of importing food material from India due to the Kashmir Issue.
Earlier we have released an article about the massive destruction and loss of life which has been caused by floods in Pakistan. Click here to check out the video. On Monday, 29th of August, Pakistan’s finance minister Miftah Ismail told a media interaction that his country could consider importing vegetables and other food items from India to help people cope with the destruction of crops because of the floods.
A day after Pakistan’s finance minister said that Pakistan could consider food imports from India to overcome shortages caused by devastating floods, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ruled out the possibility and has linked the matter to the situation in Jammu and Kashmir.Sharif faced a bunch of questions on possible food imports and resumption of trade with India when he briefed the international media in Islamabad on Tuesday 30th of August on the massive floods that have resulted in more than 1,100 deaths and has affected more than 33 million people.
“There won’t have been problems about trading with India but genocide is going on there and Kashmiris have been denied their rights. Kashmir has been forcibly controlled through abolition of Article 370,” Sharif said, “I am, however, ready to sit and talk with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. We cannot afford war. We will have to dedicate our resources for reducing poverty in our respective countries, but we cannot live in peace without resolving these issues,” He added, “We shouldn’t be doing politics at this point but it is a fact that minority rights are being destroyed in India. We want peace in the region. We are neighbours, not by choice.”
However, there was no immediate response from Indian officials to Sharif’s remarks. This development also came a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed sadness at the devastation caused by the floods in Pakistan on twitter and extended condolences to those affected by the natural disaster. Replying to Narendra Modi, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday 31st of August has thanked Modi for his concern over the human and material losses caused by the floods in the country. Taking to Twitter, Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan will overcome the adverse effects of the natural calamity. "I thank Indian PM Narendra Modi for condolences over the human & material losses caused by floods. With their characteristic, the people of Pakistan shall, InshaAllah, overcome the adverse effects of this natural calamity and rebuild their lives and communities," Shehbaz Sharif wrote on his twitter.
However, Sharf’s statement of ruling out the possibility to import food materials from India despite the country being in a massive crisis has been criticised by a lot of people, what do you think about this? Do mention your thoughts in the comment section below.
