Islamabad, Aug 31 (IANS): Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday said that the "illegal annexation of occupied Kashmir" is part of a wider policy of the Indian government "to target Muslims".

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief was referring to the National Register of Citizens (NRC) list released earlier in the day which excluded at least over 19 lakh people in Assam, identifying them as "illegal foreigners".

According to Geo News, the move "risked mass deportations of Muslims from the area". 

In a tweet, Khan said that the (Narendra) Modi government's "ethnic cleansing of Muslims should send alarm bells ringing across the world".

"Reports in Indian and international media on Modi government's ethnic cleansing of Muslims should send alarm bells ringing across the world that the illegal annexation of Kashmir is part of a wider policy to target Muslims," he said.

Khan's remark came a day after he urged the international community to "think beyond trade and business advantages" and warned of a looming threat of nuclear war due to "appeasement" of India.

In a piece titled "The World Can't Ignore Kashmir. We Are All in Danger", Khan said that "if the world does nothing to stop the Indian assault on Kashmir and its people, two nuclear-armed states will get ever closer to a direct military confrontation".