Islamabad: Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Imran Khan claimed victory on Thursday in the general elections which was conducted on Wednesday.
In his first public address after leading his party to victory, 65-year-old Khan said , “Pakistan is ready to improve its ties with India and his government would like the leaders of the two sides to resolve all disputes, including the “core issue” of Kashmir, through talks.” He asserted that the blame game between the two neighbours, detrimental to the sub-continent, should stop.
His party emerged as the single largest party in the National Assembly elections, amid rival political parties’ claim of “blatant” rigging in the counting.
Khan, who is set to be the next prime minister of Pakistan, said Kashmir is the “core” issue between the two countries and it should be resolved through talks. “I am a person who arguably knows the most people in India because of my days in cricket. We can resolve the poverty crisis in South East Asia. The biggest problem is Kashmir,” he said, suggesting that the two sides should come to the table to resolve it. “We want to improve our relations with India, if their leadership also wants it. This blame game that whatever goes wrong in Pakistan’s Balochistan is because of India and vice versa brings us back to square one,” he said.
“This is not how we will grow, and it is detrimental to the sub-continent,” he added. He said good India-Pakistan relations will be beneficial for the entire region and suggested to increase trade ties between the two neighbours.
The India-Pakistan ties nose-dived in recent years with no bilateral talks taking place. The ties between the two countries had strained after the terror attacks by Pakistan-based groups in 2016 and India’s surgical strikes inside Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
The sentencing of alleged Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav to death by a military court in April last year further deteriorated bilateral ties
The two sides often accuse each other of ceasefire violations along the Line of Control, resulting in civilian casualties.
Khan also said that he was very disappointed with the Indian media which had projected him like a “Bollywood villain” in recent weeks.
On ties with the US, he said Pakistan wants a balanced relations with America which should be mutually beneficial, not one sided. Additionally, Khan said he and his party wanted stronger ties with both Iran and Saudi Arabia. ”
We will strengthen our relations with China. They have provided us an opportunity by investing in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor,” he said.
Pakistan can learn from China, which has effectively tackled corruption and also improved people’s lives, he said.
On Afghanistan, Khan said the Afghan people have suffered most in the “war on terror”, and before that in the Afghan jihad. “Peace in Afghanistan means peace in Pakistan,” he said, adding that he envisions open borders with Afghanistan reminiscent to those within the European Union. (PTI)
