Imran Khan wants Pakistan quits US-led coalition

Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Imran Khan, has reiterated his call for quitting the U.S.-led war saying there is no military solution to the violent extremism.

When asked about impression that he is a supporter of the Taliban, Khan told radio Pakistan in an interview that he has never supported the Taliban.

“I was opposing war on terror. I was opposing Pakistan’s participation in American war on terror,” he clarified. He said he is the only leader who visited entire tribal areas and wrote a book on the region some twenty years ago.

“I had said in my assembly speeches in 2004 and asked General Musharraf that if you had studied the history‚ you would have never decided to send army in tribal areas. Quaid-e-Azam had recalled army from tribal areas on the advice of British official who had served in then north west frontier province as Governor.

“Tribal people were our backbone. They fought war in Kashmir. Those who are terming my opinion as simplistic view‚ they should tell me‚ have my views been not proved true today,” Imran Khan said.

To another question he said when he insisted that there is no military solution of the militancy in the tribal regions‚ certain quarters declared him pro-Taliban.

“This war will continue for indefinite period. Tribal people fought war for about eighty years against British rule. They fought war for about 62 years against Mughals. They fought 20 years against Sikhs. They fought long war against Russians.”

He said he had told the rulers that tribal people always take revenge and when they drop bombs on villages‚ the tribal people will become Taliban. “The same thing happened. The war on terror is not war of ideology; it has converted into Pukhtoon nationalism. They had declared Jihad against British. If we want to steer out the country from prevailing situation‚ we will have to come out from this war. We will have to come out of American war”.

To a question he opposed cut in defence budget and said Pakistan is a vulnerable state and “we are fighting at two borders including the war on terror and conflicts with India”.

“If at this stage we cut the defence budget‚ we would leave the country to more vulnerable conditions,” he said.

He said, “if we succeed to resolve the conflicts through dialogue‚ then we will be able to cut our defence budget”.

“We also want to change relations with India so that militancy and militarism are abolished and we will resolve issues through negotiations. We will keep the Kashmir issue at our priority but we will‚ at the same time‚ decide that it will be resolved through dialogue. We want to end tension and come close to benefit from trade,” the PTI chief said.

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Posted by Tahir Khan on Apr 1 2013. Filed under Latest News, National, Pakistan, Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.