Pak Minister Admits Funding Hafiz Saeed, Says "World Trusts India" On J&K

In a major embarrassment for the Imran Khan government, his Interior Minister Brigadier (Retd) Ijaz Ahmed Shah has admitted that Pakistan has failed to garner support from the international community on its narrative about Kashmir, saying despite Islamabad's efforts the world "rather believes India".

In an interview with Pakistani news channel Hum News on Thursday, Brig (retd) Shah said Pakistan's ruling elite had destroyed the nation. "We say that they (India) clamped curfew, that there is no medicine, but people (across the world) don't believe us, and rather believe India," he said in response to a question.

Brig (retd) Shah's remarks came after Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan claimed that 58 countries support Pakistan over its stand on the Kashmir issue.

With an intention to spread Islamabad's "false allegations, concocted charges and fabricated narrative", Imran Khan in his August 26 address to the nation said he will raise the Kashmir issue at every international forum, including at the UN General Assembly.

Pakistan has desperately been trying to get international attention by spreading its "false and offensive rhetoric" after India abrogated provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution and ended the 'temporary special status' of Jammu and Kashmir on August 5 and turning the state into two union territories - Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.

India has categorically told the international community that the scrapping of Article 370 was a sovereign and internal matter and also advised Pakistan to accept the reality.

Ijaz Shah, who hold one of the topmost ministries in Pakistan's government, also admitted on national television that Pakistan spent millions on proscribed terror groups like Hafiz Saeed's Jamaat ud Dawa (JuD) and should now bring them into the mainstream.

"We have spent millions of rupees on JuD," he said while responding to a question.

The minister is considered as a powerful minister and is close to both Imran Khan and the military establishment.