NEW DELHI - Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has said that Indian troops are losing battle of hearts and minds in Kashmir.
In an interview with a Delhi-based newspaper, Imran said, "India is using troops in Kashmir. They are losing the battle of hearts and minds. It's like treating cancer with aspirin."
He said that there could be no military solution of Kashmir. "It can be resolved. I will work on a roadmap by making people from India, Pakistan and Kashmir look for a solution by sitting on a table," Imran said.
He called for a strong leadership in India and Pakistan to take on vested interests "who want to make money on the conflict". He said young people were tired of the continuing hostility between the two countries."
The PTI chief also addressed a World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in New Delhi. Speaking on the occasion, he said while the improvement in bilateral trade was welcome, there should also be progress on the issue of Kashmir on a parallel lines. "Trade connections along with cricket matches will help. At the same time, we should develop some sort of a roadmap to resolve the Kashmir issue which is vital. Because unless we operate on both plains, there is always a possibility, as it happened in the past; relationships were improving, confidence building measures, cricket matches, people-to-people contacts, and then came Mumbai," he said. Stressing the need for a new relationship, Imran said the problems should not be solved through militancy and military, but through politics. "It should be two-pronged. One to normalise, open up relationships with trade on one side and then start a dialogue on Kashmir."
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