'PM Modi's good gesture towards Pakistan aimed at winning UNSC membership'

Islamabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's good gesture towards Pakistan was a part of his efforts to get permanent membership to the UN Security Council (UNSC) for India, European parliament member Afzal Khan said.

Khan, the EU security and defence committee vice-chairman, on Sunday said India cannot get an advantage from such efforts unless it ensured human rights and resolved issues such as Kashmir, Dawn online reported.

"International community is quite concerned about basic human rights. Moreover, how can a country become a permanent member of the UNSC when it has not implemented the UN resolution on the issue of Kashmir. India has to respect the UN resolution if it wants to continue claiming that it is the largest democracy," he said.

The European Union has linked human rights with trade so it will never allow India to continue violating human rights, he said.