War not our choice, but will fight till the end if it is imposed: Fawad Chaudhry

Minister of Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry on Sunday said that while war was not a choice Islamabad would willingly make, Pakistan was ready to retaliate if it is imposed.

Speaking to reporters in Lahore, Chaudhry said that Pakistan had made all efforts to take relations with India towards normalization but they had not been reciprocated.

Recalling that Prime Minister Imran Khan had once promised that Pakistan will take two steps towards peace if India takes one, Chaudhry warned: “We have stated that if you [India] work towards peace, we will reciprocate. But if you want to wage war, we will fight back till the end.”

At the Kartarpur Corridor groundbreaking ceremony, the premier had said that one is supposed to learn from history, not live in it, Chaudhry recalled.

When asked about the role of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Muslim bloc in the Kashmir dispute, Chaudhry said: “There is no Muslim bloc now. All Muslim countries are embroiled in conflict. [Of the] countries that are stable, Turkey is standing by us; the rest will take decisions according to their own interests.”

“No doubt, there is disappointment in Pakistan over the award recently conferred upon [Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi] by the UAE. We consider UAE as a friend to Pakistan and it must not be forgotten that Pakistan had a huge role in making Dubai what it is today.”

He further said that the Kashmir dispute was not Pakistan’s problem, but a global human rights issue.

“What good is the leadership of a Muslim leader who does not stand by his Muslim brother despite visible cruelty and injustice?”

The minister also said that despite imposing a lock-down in occupied Kashmir, Modi has been “trapped”.