Pak PM Imran Khan’s new offer to Kashmir: Join country or be independent

TIL Desk/World/Islamabad/ Departing from Pakistan’s declared policy on Kashmir, Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday said that Islamabad would let the people of Kashmir decide if they want to join Pakistan or become an “independent state”. India has asserted that Jammu and Kashmir “was, is and shall forever” remain an integral part of India.

Addressing an election rally in Tarar Khal area of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) ahead of the polls on July 25, Khan also rejected claims by a leading Opposition leader that his government was working on a plan to make Kashmir a province of Pakistan.

The response came after Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Maryam Nawaz addressing an election gathering in PoK on July 18 said that a decision had been taken to change the status of Kashmir and make it a province. “I do not know where all this talk (about province) has sprung from,” Khan said, while dismissing any such idea.