Khan warns of nuke war, ‘bloodbath’ in Kashmir

“If a conventional war starts between the two countries, anything could happen. But supposing a country seven times smaller than its neighbour is faced with the choice: either you surrender, or you fight for your freedom till death,” Khan said.

“What will we do? I ask myself these questions. We will fight ... and when a nuclear- armed country fights to the end, it will have consequences far beyond the borders,” he warned.

I would pick up a gun

“Free Kashmir, End the Siege,” read banners during the pro- Pakistan demonstration, while on the pro- Modi side protesters held up placards hailing the Indian leader as a “visionary”.

Security forces in Srinagar, the capital of India’s former Jammu and Kashmir state, imposed tough new restrictions on Friday, fearing protests surrounding the twin speeches in New York.

They erected concrete and razor- wire barricades as troops in bulletproof gear guarded deserted streets following orders to stop any public rallies.

Khan said that the conditions in Kashmir were radicalising a new generation and that he himself would take up arms in their situation.

“I’ve been locked up for 55 days, I’ve heard about rapes, Indian army going in homes, soldiers,” he said, imagining himself as a Kashmiri.

“Would I want to live this humiliation? Would I want to live like that? I would pick up a gun. You’re forcing people. You are forcing people into radicalisation.”

Prime Minister Modi spoke earlier but did not explicitly mention Kashmir, choosing instead to focus on domestic policies such as development and sanitation.

He did however make an oblique reference to Pakistan, telling fellow leaders: “We belong to a country that has given the world, not war, but Buddha’s message of peace.

“And that is the reason why our voice against terrorism, to alert the world about this evil rings with seriousness and outrage.” India says that Pakistan has fomented an insurgency in Kashmir by arming, funding and training militants.