Daily Times

Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that Pakistan enjoyed good relationship with both China and the United States without siding with any particular “camp”.

“Pakistan does not have to be in any camp. Why can’t we have good relationship with everyone?,” the Prime Minister said in an interview with Aljazeera television, aired on Thursday.

The interview with senior correspondent Hashem Ahelbarra at ‘Talk to Aljazeera’ programme gave an insight into PM Imran Khan’s views on his first two years in office, fight against corruption, coping with geopolitical changes, economy, media freedom and the country’s response to coronavirus pandemic.

The prime minister said every country looked to its own interests and for Pakistan, “Our future is now linked to China, progressing at faster pace than any other country in the world”.

He dismissed any renegotiation with China over amending the terms of $62 billion Economic Corridor, saying that “the relationship with China was better than even before”.

Imran Khan said Pakistan would like to benefit from the way China made progress and lifted its people out of poverty.

Asked if Pakistan considered ‘resetting’ ties with the US being critical of CPEC, he said, “We probably have the best relationship with US right now as compared to a few years ago, because in Afghanistan, we are ‘partners with peace’.”

Would Pakistan favour a power-sharing agreement in future between government of Afghanistan and Taliban, the Prime Minister said, “Whatever the Afghans think is good for them, is good for us…After Afghanistan, the country which has stakes in the Afghan peace, is in fact Pakistan.”

He mentioned that Pakistan tried its best to somehow get Taliban and the Afghan government sit on negotiation table, adding that “This is a miracle that’s actually happening.”

He said spoilers, particularly India, did not want peace and stability to return to Afghanistan.

On India’s revocation of special status of Jammu and Kashmir, Imran Khan said Pakistan would continue highlighting the issue at international level, however he stressed that efforts were ‘not only to support Kashmiri people, but the fact that the issue can have serious regional and global implications”.

“The ruling party in India inspired by RSS was thrice outlawed as terrorist organization and now, being nuclear-armed, it is controlling 1.3 billion people. This is a tragedy for sensible people of India to think over,” he said.

He said unfortunately, the commercial interests of certain countries made them ignore India’s “huge travesty of justice”.

Imran Khan said he had all the support of military on his government’s policies as both institutions worked in “complete coordination”.

“The military stands with the democratic government’s policies whether it relates to India or peaceful solution to Afghanistan. Everywhere, the military stands with us,” he said, when asked to comment on relations with top army brass.

The governments in past had “chequered and uneasy relationships” with army, however, “We have an excellent relationship. I honestly think it is the most harmonious relationship,” he said.

Imran Khan said the biggest change that his government brought in two years was the country ridding of its elite capture.

He said Pakistan was moving in right way with introduction of ease of doing businesses, however pointed that mindset of ‘incentive structure’ needed to be changed.

To a question on success against corruption as regarded by host “always a vocal critic of endemic corruption”, the Prime Minister said presently, there was “no mega corruption case in Pakistan after it was controlled by the government at top tier”.

For the first time in our history, the powerful who misused authority to make money, are being held accountable, he said.

However, he admitted that corruption prevailed at lower levels requiring a struggle and lots of steps to counter.