PM Imran Khan calls for relations with US on equal footings

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has said more than 70,000 Pakistani people martyred and our economy suffered billions of dollars loss in the war against terror, ARY News reported on Wednesday.

“Pakistan was fighting the US war of terror as Pakistan had nothing to do with the 9/11, Al Qaida was in Afghanistan and there were no militant Taliban in Pakistan”, he said while speaking to the US Congressmen at the Capitol Hill.

Mr. Khan said the whole idea of his coming there was to make the people in the United States have a better understanding of Pakistan. “Pakistan wants relations with the US on equality basis.”

He said unfortunately, he felt that Pakistan was not understood there, specifically in the last 15 year when the war on terror was being fought in Afghanistan and on the border of Pakistan.

Commenting on the relationship between both the countries, he said, Pakistan had always close ties with the United States and expressed the hope to get back to the relationship, which was based on truth and trust as well as mutual respect.

PM Khan said it was very important that he met President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and explained to them the way forward that the relationship has to be based on mutual trust.

He said Pakistan is trying its level best to bring Taliban to the negotiation table and significant achievement has been made so far in this regard. He, however, said it was not an easy task.

He said the entire country including army and security forces are on same page for a common objective of peaceful solution to the Afghan conflict.

Earlier, US Congress Speaker Nancy Pelosi, other congressmen and Co-Chair of Pakistan-US Caucus welcomed and warmly received the prime minister at the Capitol Hill.