Matrix Report
As opposition leader back in January 2016, Imran Khan had said there was no military solution of the Afghan conflict.
“Afghanistan has suffered for too long and the people in Afghanistan deserve peace as any other country. Pakistan should pursue a policy of non-interference in the internal affairs of Afghanistan, as stated by the government of Pakistan. Peace in Afghanistan will be the key to peace in Pakistan and all efforts should be made to pursue this objective. I am not pro-Taliban; I am anti-war – as war is never a solution for any country,” Khan had said while addressing the delegates of the Pak Afghan Track 1.5/11 – Beyond Boundaries- at Islamabad.
Peace in Afghanistan will be the key to peace in Pakistan and all efforts should be made to pursue this objective, Khan had told the delegates.
Five years on, as the Prime Minister, Khan reiterated the same sentiment for Afghanistan when talking to a delegation of Pak-Afghan Youth Forum (PAYF) on July 29.
There is no military solution to the conflict and Pakistan earnestly wants peace through talks in Afghanistan because all the future economic policies of Pakistan depended on peace in Afghanistan.
He also expressed dismay over the way Pakistan is perceived in Afghanistan.
“Unfortunately there was a misconception in Afghanistan, which was based on Indian propaganda, that Pakistan was controlled by military institutions. It is not the case at all. The entire security establishment backs my government’s foreign policies, he said.
He also called some recent statements from Afghan leaders as “unfortunate” who tended to blame Pakistan for the Afghan crisis. Pakistan strove as hard as it could to convince the Taliban into talks – first with the US and then with the Taliban.
