His comments came a day after it was revealed nearly 4,000 people have been arrested by Indian authorities since protests began, according to government data. He told a several thousand-strong rally in Muzaffarabad, the capital of the disputed territory administered by Pakistan, that India should expect people to “rise against” it for its recent actions.
The former Pakistani cricket team captain turned prime minister Khan said: “When atrocities get to their peak, people would prefer that death is better than this insulting life.
“I want to tell India that, by detaining thousands of people, you are pushing people into extremism.
“People will rise against India, and it is not just about Indian Muslims, there are 1.25 billion Muslims around the world. They all are watching this.”
Mr Khan’s warning on Friday comes ahead of his upcoming appearance at the United Nations General Assembly in New York next week where he has vowed to defend the cause of Kashmiris.
Long-standing tensions between the two neighbours boiled over into violence in early August following India’s decision to revoke the special status of its portion of Kashmir, known as Jammu and Kashmir.
New Delhi has sought to dampen the unrest by clamping down on communications and freedom of movement.
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On Tuesday the president of Azad Kashmir, Sardar Masood Khan, raised the prospect of a genocide as he urged accused India of putting regional security at risk.
Speaking at a ceremony in connection with Defense and Martyrs Day on Friday, he called on the UN Security Council (UNSC) to move to prevent a genocide in the part of Kashmir controlled by India.
The Indian government has said its decision to scrap Kashmir’s special status after seven decades was aimed at combatting terrorism and boosting the region’s economic development.
The status had meant that Jammu and Kashmir was exempt from the Indian constitution and it could make its own laws.
About two-thirds of the population of Jammu and Kashmir is Muslim, while India has an overall Hindu majority.
A sparsely populated area of the north is controlled by China.
While Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been widely criticised for the move, he has also won praise from many Indian nationalists.