Indian lobby in US `far more powerful` than Pakistan`s: Imran Khan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has admitted that the Indian lobby in the United States is 'far more powerful' than that of Pakistan's which plays a pivotal role in strengthening New Delhi's narrative against Islamabad. 

The Pakistani leader made these remarks while addressing a gathering of the Association of Physicians of Pakistani Descent of North America (APPNA) on Saturday. Speaking on the occasion, Khan said, ''The powerful Indian lobby in America was playing a key role in strengthening India's narrative against Pakistan, which was affecting the US policies for his country.''

The PTI leader admitted that the due to the ''powerful'' Indian lobby in America, New Delhi's point of view always overshadows that of Pakistan and subsequently affects Washington's policies for Pakistan

Khan urged the Pakistani sympathisers and the doctors to strengthen their efforts to counter the Indian lobby in the US. The cricketer-turned-politician said that the government of Pakistan wishes to have an institutional arrangement with APPNA, calling it the most powerful and influential Pakistani group overseas.

Khan also warned that India may launch a false-flag operation in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) to divert attention from its domestic issues. Khan also came down heavily on the Narendra Modi-led NDA government for its recent crackdown on people protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 and blocking internet services and communication channels in Jammu and Kashmir.

Pakistani PM Imran Khan had recently compared the RSS to Hitler's Brown Shirts while warning about 'genocide of Muslims' in India.

It may be recalled that United Nations` Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), in its recent report, had stated that discriminatory legislation by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government has empowered people with "extremist mindsets" to carry out attacks on religious minorities.

In its 47-page report titled, `Pakistan-Religious freedom under attack`, released in December, the CSW, a commission of the United Nations Economic and Social Council, expressed concerned over the increasing "weaponisation and politicisation" of the blasphemy laws and the anti-Ahmadiyya legislation which are being used by Islamist groups not only to persecute religious minorities but also to gain political ground.

Tensions between India and Pakistan spiked following New Delhi's decision to abrogate Article 370 of the Constitution on August 5, revoking the special status given to the former state of Jammu and Kashmir.

Violent protests erupted in several parts of the country last week including Uttar Pradesh over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, which grants citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Parsis, Buddhists, and Christians fleeing religious persecution from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh who came to India on or before December 31, 2014.