MEA slams Imran Khan for raising 'Kashmir' issue at World Economic Forum in Davos

India has dismissed Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's call for global intervention to prevent a showdown between "two nuclear-armed countries", saying that the neighbouring nation's efforts would be better spent in taking verifiable action against terror groups on its territory than trying to "distract" the global community.

Speaking to media persons today, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar observed that there was "nothing new" in what Imran Khan had said at the World Economic Forum meet in Davos, Switzerland. "His remarks suggest that he is desperate and rapidly losing hope. The global community can now see through their double standards. While they pretend to be victims of terrorism on the one hand, they foster extremists who spread terrorism in India and other countries on the other," he said.

Mr Kumar also claimed that Pakistan's attempts to create an "alarmist situation" in Kashmir have failed miserably. "Our position on Kashmir has been clear and consistent through the years. These are bilateral issues that need to be discussed between India and Pakistan, and there is no role for a third party in this situation," he said, adding that Imran Khan should resolve issues in "his own country" before looking elsewhere.

The External Affairs Ministry spokesperson also maintained that the World Economic Forum was not an appropriate platform to discuss such issues.

In an interview conducted on the sidelines of the Davos meet, Imran Khan had urged international powers -- including the United Nations and the United States -- to help de-escalate tensions between India and Pakistan before things get to a point of no return. "You cannot have two nuclear-armed countries even contemplating a conflict," he said, claiming that there was every possibility of India trying to raise tensions at the border to "divert attention from domestic issues" such as protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act.