The world is yet to fully grasp the gravity of the situation in South Asia springing from the Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan, according to Sardar Masood Khan, president of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, also known as Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).
He said that India’s recent acts of dividing the state of Jammu and Kashmir and revoking its autonomy and continues communication blockade in the region has further aggravated the situation.
In an exclusive interview with Anadolu Agency, Khan, a former career diplomat who served as Pakistan’s envoy at the UN and China, said the Kashmir has become an elephant in the room which global powers cannot ignore.
“If I may put it like that, you cannot ignore it. Everybody sees it from all directions whether you're sitting in Washington or Tokyo or Beijing or Australia. You see Kashmir as a threat to peace and security,” he said.
Predicting an apocalypse, in case issues are not resolved between two nuclear-armed South Asian neighbors, Khan said that the danger of nuclear war and annihilation of 130 million people was real.
"It would be not just for South Asia, because, according to the estimates given by scientists, 130 million people would be killed instantly, and 2.5 billion people all around the world would be affected directly or indirectly by radiation and nuclear fallout," Khan said. He further added that such a situation will also cause mass migration.
Born in Rawalakot, in AJK's Poonch district, Khan, who has also worked as a TV news anchor, thanked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish society, and think-tanks for realising the severity of the situation and standing by the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
He said U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent road map on Palestine has been a disappointment and it amounts to legitimizing occupation. Asked about Trump’s offer to mediate between India and Pakistan, he said the Palestine plan has created a kind of credibility deficit. He said the UN charter makes it obligatory for the UN secretary-general to mediate to avoid conflicts. Khan asked: Why can't António Guterres be the mediator with collaboration and help from Trump?
