NEW YORK: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday said Pakistan had committed the biggest blunder by joining the United States war after the incident of 9/11.
“70,000 Pakistanis have lost their lives and 200 billion rupees lost to this war,” Imran Khan said while giving interview to the Council on Foreign Relations in New York.
He said the mujahideen who were indoctrinated to fight against the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics as jihad were then being labelled as terrorist for defending their country. “The groups that were close to Pakistan army, now Pakistan was trying to kill them,” he added.
The prime minister said first Pakistan created Jihadis, then they were trying to annihilate them.
“I kept telling that there was no military solution in Afghanistan simply because I have read the history. They may fight each other and the moment the foreigners invade they all unite against them,” he said.
He also highlighted the burden of 2.7 million Afghan refugees that Pakistan was bearing in aftermath of the imposed-war.
“Having said that, I do not believe that the US is not succeeding in Afghanistan because of Pakistan but this is because of their (Afghans’) history.
“Now we are fencing the borders along Afghanistan after incidents of infiltration of terrorists crossing into the country,” he said.
Imran Khan stressed on a political settlement between the US and Taliban saying that there’s no point in fighting anymore.
“The current Taliban are not of 2001. They cannot travel to other countries now,” he said.
People of Afghanistan had suffered for 40 years. Everyday there’s bomb blast happening and people were dying, he maintained.
To a query, he said army completely stood with the government, nevertheless the government cut their budget under the austerity campaign.
