Imran Khan has said he doesn’t deserve the Nobel Peace Prize in response to calls by domestic supporters for him to be given the recognition. He said only solving the Kashmir dispute would make a person worthy of the award.

Online calls to give the peace award to Khan emerged in Pakistan last week, after his government released a captured Indian pilot in a surprise gesture of goodwill. The pilot, Abhinandan Varthaman, was caught by Pakistani troops after his MiG-21 fighter jet was shot down by Pakistani forces under circumstances which are disputed by the two nations.

Responding on Monday to a social media campaign for his nomination, Khan said a Nobel Peace Prize would be an adequate reward for resolving the Kashmir conflict and paving a road to peace in Hindustan, but he was not that person.

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 & human development in the subcontinent. — Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) March 4, 2019

The hashtag #NobelPeacePrizeForImranKhan trended on Twitter in Pakistan on Thursday, as Pakistanis flocked in their thousands to sign online petitions (there are several on change.org alone) calling for the recognition of his peacemaking effort.

A resolution, calling for the prime minister’s nomination for the prestigious award, was put forward on Saturday before the Pakistani parliament by Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry.

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Decades-old tensions between Pakistan and India escalated over the disputed region of Kashmir last week after India deployed its warplanes to hit a suspected terrorist camp in Pakistani territory.

The mission was retaliation for an earlier suicide bomb attack against Indian police. Pakistan responded the next day with an air raid of its own, during which an Indian plane was shot down and fell on the Pakistani side of the Line of Control.

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