Ties between India and Pakistan have become increasingly strained over the past fortnight following a deadly terrorist attack in Kashmir that left 26 people dead. Indian officials have repeatedly vowed a ‘befitting response’ to the incident while Pakistani intelligence warned about an “imminent threat of kinetic action”. Pakistani MP Sher Afzal Khan Marwat however had a rather simple plan to handle a potential conflict — telling reporters earlier this week that he would simply ‘escape’ the country in such a situation.
“If war breaks out, I will go to England,” Marwat explained upon being asked by a journalist whether he planned to fight on the frontlines.
The remarks were delivered with stoicism before Marwat — the spokesperson for Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf — could be heard fielding additional questions about the Indian response to the attack. Videos of the interaction have since gone viral on social media with many jibing that even top officials did not seem to trust their own army.
The PTI also made waves after declining to attend a briefing on India-Pakistan tensions on Sunday — despite the terse situation. It asked the government to immediately convene an All-Parties Conference to take all national parties into confidence and formulate a common course of action.
“Since this is merely a government briefing and there does not appear to be any serious attempt to build a national consensus, nor is there any intention to include an important national leader like Imran Khan, we believe that the participation of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in this briefing is not necessary,” the party said.