MOSCOW/ISLAMABAD: Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan, in an interview with Russian broadcaster, has claimed that the United States uses Pakistan like a tissue paper.
“I think, it’s very unfair to Pakistan…Pakistan lost more human beings, almost 70,000 dead, vast number of them were handicapped because of bomb blasts, for helping the Americans, for joining the American war, it brought the heaviest cost. And at the end the Americans today blame Pakistan and put sanctions against it, I think, this is the greatest travesty of justice. I think, you know, it is something which is inconceivable that the U.S. would blame Pakistan for its failure in Afghanistan,” Khan said in an interview with Russian broadcaster RT.
Read: Pakistan spent Rs 297bn on ‘war on terror’ in last 10 years
Pakistan’s strong response comes after US suspended aid worth about $2 billion over Pakistan’s alleged ties with terror groups. It also put forward a motion to place Pakistan on a global terrorist-financing watchlist.
“It will be damaging. I mean, for Pakistan, unfortunately, the economic situation is not that strong right now. The country is actually going through an economic crisis. So, American sanctions would be damaging. But I mean, is this justice? Is it fair? Is this how the U.S. would use a country like a tissue paper and when it thinks it doesn’t need it anymore it just casts it away? I think it’s very immoral,” Khan said.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman said that peace cannot be achieved in Afghanistan through military means. He said that instability in Afghanistan affects Pakistan as well.
‘What aid US talks about?’
When asked about Pakistan allegedly misspent the aid provided by the US, Khan said: “The aid given in proportion to the damage done in Pakistan by participating in the U.S. war – there is no comparison. The aid was what? They say, about 20 billion dollars, maybe 25 billion dollars. Pakistan has lost over a hundred billion dollars. Economy suffered.”
He further said that tourism collapsed in this country. Even today foreign cricket teams don’t come to play in Pakistan. So this country took a heavy punishment by participating in that war. And as I said, the money coming from that aid is a small pittance compared to what it cost to people of Pakistan.
‘Strength of Pakistani Taliban reduced’
According to Imran, the strength of Pakistani Taliban has greatly reduced. “Ever since the American footprint reduced in Afghanistan, the level of fanaticism went down in our country; no longer were the Pakistani security forces supposed to be collaborators of the Americans. Hence, the recruitment for the Pakistani Taliban went down, and the fanaticism went down and so the Pakistani security forces are more or less in control of, what is called, a TPT – the Pakistan Taliban. The problem is in Afghanistan now. If Afghanistan is secure, settled, stable, then there would be peace in Pakistan,” he added.
