Dawn News (Jan 15, 2010)
LONDON: Cricketer turned politician Imran Khan called Thursday for the army to withdraw from Pakistan's tribal areas and for talks with the Taliban, warning that the country faced “catastrophe” otherwise.
Khan said the US-Pakistan military offensive in the areas bordering Afghanistan was turning locals massively against the United States and boosting support for the militants.
US drone strikes on militants were sparking “anger and hatred” in the area, said Khan, who leads the marginal Tehrik-e-Insaf (Movement for Justice).
“The solution is to hold a dialogue with the militants,” he told an audience at the Chatham House foreign policy thinktank in London.
“The solution is to win them onto our side, not to bomb them with airstrikes.” Otherwise, he warned: “If we continue with this military operation we are facing a catastrophe.”
The militants operating in the tribal areas did not share the beliefs of the Afghan Taliban, who wanted to create an Islamist state, he said.
“In my opinion, they are political Taliban, they are not religious Taliban."
“They will fade away as soon as the Pakistan army moves back and dialogue is held,” he added.
Khan said that Pakistan's former military ruler Pervez Musharraf once described him as “a terrorist without a beard” for suggesting talks with the militants, but now it was an idea being promoted by others.
“Now even (Afghan President) Hamid Karzai considers (Taliban supreme leader) Mullah Omar to be a brother,” Khan added, to laughter from the audience.
He also criticised the tactics of the US military surge in Afghanistan.
“The only way I see the surge being effective is if they use their muscle to get the Taliban to the negotiating table."
“If they use the surge for more bloodshed, I can guarantee they will leave behind -- because they will leave -- a far more radical government than the one it replaced.”
A US drone strike in the lawless northwest border area Thursday targeted Pakistani Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud, officials said, although the militia denied reports that he was among 10 killed. –AFP
APP (Jan 15, 2010)
LONDON, Jan 15 (APP): Chairman, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Imran Khan has advocated negotiated settlement of the Taliban militancy facing Pakistan and Afghanistan and said gun and bullet will only further worsen the situation rather than resolving it.Addressing a packed audience at Chatham House, a leading British think tank here last evening, Khan suggested establishing a government of consensus in Afghanistan to ride out the current problems.
He was of the view that Pakistan showed halt all military operations in the tribal areas and start immediate talks with the Taliban leadership to seek a peaceful end of the crisis.
Khan said Pakistan is suffering immensely from the fall out of conflict in Afghanistan and last year alone there had some 500 bomb blasts across the country in which thousands of innocent Pakistanis have lost their lives.
The PTI leader blamed former president Pervez Musharraf for Pakistan’s current problems and said the country is paying a high price for its pro-USA policies.
He said no Pustun nor any Pakistani was involved in 9/11 attacks yet the Western powers led by USA has now entered Afghanistan and destabilised the whole region and at the same time violating Pakistani sovereign territory with impunity through drone attacks.
Khan negated impression that the current conflict had any religious tones and said the issue on the contrary is political.
He further said in response to his appeal for talks, at least three factions of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Taliban has signalled their intention to hold dialogues.
The cricketer-turned-politician said even USA is reportedly holding talks with certain factions of Taliban in Afghanistan.
Khan said due to acts of terrorism, eighty per cent of NWFP economy has collapsed and the youth was being radicalised. He called for isolating the real terrorists and holding talks with the saner elements. The PTI Chairman said unless peace is restored in the tribal
areas, no development can take place and the people will continue to live in abject poverty.
Imran Khan was confident about the future of democracy in Pakistan, given its independent judiciary and a vibrant free media and politically aware public.
However, he observed that unless the present government takes concrete measures to improve the national economy, reduce price hike and inflation and overcome energy shortage, the things could get worse in the next six months and that could lead to mid-term elections.
The Nation (Jan 15, 2010)
LONDON – Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan said on Thursday that incumbent government wanted to influence the Supreme Court so that the cases against President Asif Zardari and his companions could be scrapped.
Addressing audience at a seminar at the Chatham House foreign policy thinktank in London on ‘Political Strain on Pakistan due to Afghan War and the Economic Challenges Faced by It’, Imran said the Pakistan Army was shelling its own people to please the US. He was of the view that drone strikes should be stopped forthwith. The US as well as Western countries were responsible for destabilisation in Pakistan, he added. He said calm and stability in Pakistan and Afghanistan was a must for durable peace in the region and underlined the need of dialogue with Taliban.
The Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf chief said apart from committing war crimes former president Pervez Musharraf was also responsible for pushing Pakistan into terrorism and extremism. He said the US played vital role for deal between Benazir Bhutto and Pervez Musharraf. He also claimed that people would take to streets if they did not witness any improvement in country’s state of affairs in next three to four months.
He said prevailing circumstances suggested mid-term polls in next six months.
Imran called for the Army to withdraw from tribal areas, warning that the country faced ‘catastrophe’ otherwise.
Imran said the US-Pakistan military offensive in the areas bordering Afghanistan was turning locals massively against the United States and boosting support for the militants. US drone strikes on militants were sparking ‘anger and hatred’ in the area, he added.
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