Imran Khan Targets Modi Govt Over Delhi Violence: Genie Out Of Bottle, Bloodshed Will Get Worse

Even as the officials grapple to restore normalcy in the violence-hit North-East Delhi, India’s nuclear neighbour Pakistan on Wednesday targeted the Narendra Modi government. Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan took to Twitter to launch a veiled attack against India. Without specifically mentioning violence in Delhi, Khan said that the world must take notice and act on it. “Today in India we are seeing the Nazi-inspired RSS ideology take over a nuclear-armed state of over a billion people. Whenever a racist ideology based on hatred takes over, it leads to bloodshed,” Khan said in a series of tweets.

“As I had predicted in my address to UN GA last year, once the genie is out of the bottle the bloodshed will get worse. IOJK was the beginning. Now 200 million Muslims in India are being targeted. The world community must act now,” he further said.

Khan then went on to issue a farce warning against those indulging in violence against minorities in Pakistan. “I want to warn our people that anyone in Pakistan targeting our non-Muslim citizens or their places of worship will be dealt with strictly. Our minorities are equal citizens of this country,” Khan said on micro-blogging site.

This is the first global reaction on Delhi violence. On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump skirted the issue and said that though he did hear about the mob attack but didn’t take it up with PM Modi. The violence in North-East Delhi coincided with Trump’s high-profile India visit. While the home ministry has been monitoring the situation, Wednesday saw PM Modi breaking his silence on the issue.

“Peace and harmony are central to our ethos. I appeal to my sisters and brothers of Delhi to maintain peace and brotherhood at all times. It is important that there is calm and normalcy is restored at the earliest. Had an extensive review on the situation prevailing in various parts of Delhi. Police and other agencies are working on the ground to ensure peace and normalcy,” PM Modi said on Twitter.

PM Modi’s reaction came minutes after in an unprecedented press conference, Congress interim chief Sonia Gandhi demanded Home Minister Amit Shah’s resignation. The BJP hit back at Gandhi and said that the Congress was resorting to ‘shallow politics.’ T

The number of casualties in the Delhi violence climbed up to 22, the officials at the Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital confirmed on Wednesday. The hospital said that four people were brought dead during the intervening night of February 25-26. Eerie calm prevailed on the streets of Maujpur, Seelampur and Gokulpuri on Wednesday morning. No fresh incidents of violence or stone-pelting have been reported so far. The Delhi Metro has resumed the services at all station. “Security Update Entry & exit gates at all stations have been opened. Normal services have resumed in all stations,” the DMRC said on Twitter. 

(With agency inputs)