Not worthy of Nobel Peace Prize, says Imran Khan

Islamabad, March 4 (IANS) Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, addressing calls by his countrymen on social media and in his government to award him a Nobel Peace Prize for "de-escalating" tensions with India, on Monday said that he is not worthy of the honour.

"I am not worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize. The person worthy of this would be the one who solves the Kashmir dispute according to the wishes of the Kashmiri people and paves the way for peace and human development in the subcontinent," he tweeted.

Supporters and officials of Khan's administration started lobbying for a Nobel Peace Prize for him following his announcement to release Indian Air Force (IAF) officer Wing Commander Abhinandan who was captured by Pakistan on February 27 after his MiG-21 crashed inside Pakistani territory. He was released on March 1.

Soon after the Indian pilot was handed over to the Indian authorities, the hashtag "#NobelPeacePrizeForImranKhan" started trending in Pakistan on Twitter. Until Sunday, over 300,000 people had signed online petitions seeking the Nobel for Khan.

A resolution was also submitted in the country's National Assembly Secretariat last week for the same. The motion stated that Khan played a "sagacious role in reducing tension between Pakistan and India which was created due to warmongering attitude of the Indian leadership".

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Peoples Party, which had earlier questioned the timing of the release of the Indian pilot, expressed its sorrow over the ongoing campaign for the award.