Decoding Pakistan PM Imran Khan’s Speech at UNGA
Pakistani Prime Minister in his emotionally-charged 51 Minute speech at United Nations General Assembly speaks on a range of topics, however, most of them were revolving around his political narrative for garner strong support back in the home.
PM Khan started his speech by saying, “I would’ve not come here. But I felt an urgent need to highlight many problems going across the world”.
PM Khan’s speech could be fragmented in four parts:
Climate Change
Imran Khan highlighted the need for prompt climate action, he shed light on Pakistan being an agricultural state and 80% of its water coming from the other side of the border from the Glaciers in the Himalayas and Karakoram range. And at the rate which Glaciers are melting is highly alarming.
#Pakistan is amongst top-10 nations affected by Climate Change. We depend on our river, we are an agricultural country. Our 80% of waters come from glaciers from Himalaya. It is melting at an alarming rate: Imran Khan @ #UNGA2019
— The Kootneeti (@TheKootneeti) September 27, 2019
In an attempt to highlight the climate change, Pakistani Prime Minister skipped the recent earthquake in the Northern part of Pakistan which has killed more than a dozen people and several others are impacted by it.
Corruption by ruling elites
Pakistan Prime Minister in an attempt to garner support on home-grown corruption highlighted the ruling elite’s misdeeds, which was certainly aimed at Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Shariff and Former President Asif Ali Zardari, who are already in Pakistani jails on the charges of corruption.
He spoke about the western tax havens which are flooded by the Pakistani money and demanded a strict law on money laundering to curtail corruption.
This part of his speech was to woo his voters on his decisions to go against the corrupt ruling elites, however, among those elites, back at home, he failed to take action or mention about the level of corruption within the armed forces.
Islamophobia
Prime Minister Khan’s statement over Islamophobia was one of the attempt to save his face back at home, as well as garner support from the Islamic world, who has turned away from Pakistan after its bankruptcy.
His speech was a direct challenge to US President Donald Trump’s remark over Radical Islamic terrorism, which has attracted support among US voters for the 2020 Presidential Elections in the United States.
He said, “Islamophobia since 9/11 has grown at an alarming pace. It is creating a division in the world, the hijab has become an issue like a weapon”
PM Khan criticised the West for fueling radicalism amongst Muslims across the globe. He cited the European situation where hatred towards Muslims is turning them into radicals. He said Muslims are being marginalised in European countries and the West. This marginalisation creates radicalisation.
PM Khan tried becoming a messiah of Muslims at the global stage by citing the values of holy Quran and the holy city of Mecca, but he didn’t bother to speak even a bit of injustice against Muslims in China’s Xinjiang province, or the brutal Iranian or Saudi regime who are sponsoring war against Yemeni kids by aiding the nationalist army and Houthi rebels.
PM Khan tried his best to come up with a stand of keeping anti-west rhetoric. His speech reflects a new dawn of geopolitical change in Asia and the world, which is dangerous.
Kashmir
PM Khan repeated the same rhetoric on Kashmir and tried to internationalise the Kashmir issue, however, that attempt gained just a few applauses from the Pakistani delegation inside the UNGA hall.
Pakistani Prime Minister compared the RSS and PM Modi with the Nazi regime and compared Kashmir with the annexation of Slovenia in 1939, which led to World War II. His entire narrative reflects his sympathy with the Jews who died in the holocaust, but then on the geopolitical front, he never bothers to recognise Israel or even talk about them. Maybe fear of losing some points back at home
Pakistan PM went to the extent of saying that 180 Million Indian Muslims are watching Modi’s action in Kashmir and this is how they’ll get radicalised and some of them may pick gun. Without understanding the allegiance of Indian Muslims toward their home country India.
In his remark PM Khan, forgets to mention any voice of dissent coming from Pakistan Occupied Kashmir which has been suppressed brutally by the Pakistani forces.
He advocates for the peace rhetoric sounded more like an empty threat to the world community to mediate on the Kashmir Issue.
Conclusion
There are many issues, Pakistani Prime Minister would’ve highlighted other than above spoke one, especially about Pakistan’s economic condition. This would’ve gained attention towards a sharply declining economy.
Imran Khan is already feeling the avalanche back at home for his failure to get enough support on Kashmir by the world community, yesterday PM Khan spoke about starting an English Television Channel to fight against Islamophobia along with Turkey and Malaysia. This is merely an attempt by PM Khan to divert the attention of the people who are expecting the Pakistani government to internationalise the Kashmir issue.
Click here to read his statement in a series of Tweets by The Kootneeti
