Pakistan PM Imran Khan challenged to have a TV debate with Indian PM Narendra Modi

On Tuesday, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said he would want to have a television debate with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi to resolve tensions between the two countries.

Khan made the statements during an interview with Russia’s state-run television network RT on the eve of his first two-day visit to Moscow, which will include talks with President Vladimir Putin and a review of significant regional and international issues. In answer to a query, Khan stated, “I would love to debate with Narendra Modi on television.”

He went on to say that resolving issues between Pakistan and India via discourse would be extremely beneficial to the subcontinent’s over a billion people.

When his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, came to power in 2018, Khan said he immediately went out to India and asked the Indian leadership to sit down at the table and discuss the Kashmir issue.

However, he expressed disappointment that India had not responded positively to his overtures.

Ties between India and Pakistan have deteriorated since a terror attack on the Pathankot Air Force base in 2016 by Pakistan-based extremist groups. The relationship deteriorated further after other attacks, including one on an Indian Army camp in Uri.

After India’s war jets bombed a Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist training centre deep within Pakistan on February 26, 2019, in response to the Pulwama terror incident in which 40 CRPF jawans were killed, the relationship deteriorated further.

In August of this year, India announced the withdrawal of Jammu and Kashmir’s special powers and the division of the state into two union territories.

Jammu & Kashmir, India has repeatedly assured Pakistan, “was, is, and will forever” remain an integral part of the country. It also urged Pakistan to recognise reality and refrain from spreading anti-India propaganda.

India has expressed its wish for regular neighbourly relations with Islamabad in a free of terror, hatred, and violence environment.

Prime Minister Khan also voiced optimism for a “peaceful solution” to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, emphasising that military combat can never solve problems.

“I am not a supporter of military action. During the interview, Khan stated, “I believe civilised cultures resolve differences through discussions, and countries that rely on military confrontations have not studied history properly.”

Khan stated that he was confident that people in Ukraine and Russia were aware of the potential implications of a conflict.