ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan Wednesday strongly criticised the federal government’s ‘muted’ response to ill-advised statement of US President Donald Trump regarding Pakistan’s role in war against terrorism.
Addressing media here, Imran said that Trump’s desire to give India an active role in Afghanistan severely lacks logic and seems a blatant attempt to undermine Pakistan’s incredible human and economic sacrifices rendered for the elimination of terrorism through US-led war on terror. He said that the federal government should convene a joint sitting of parliament to devise future course of action and should convey a clear message to the US administration that it cannot pin the blame of its failed policies on Pakistan. The PTI chairman lashed out at government stating that neither prime minister nor foreign minister issued a statement in response to Trump’s speech, even though China came to our defence. “Country’s political leadership is scared, which is why the army chief had to respond to Trump’s statement. They have their looted billions of dollars abroad and that is why they are afraid of responding.” “A unanimous message should be conveyed to the US that civilian and military leadership in the country are on the same page,” he said. The PTI chief condemned the statement of the US president stating that Pakistan had been facing negative impacts of an unstable Afghanistan for decades. “The allegations signals that Trump has no understanding of the South Asian region or the dynamics of war on terror,” he added. Imran Khan recalled that he had opposed Pakistan’s decision to join US war after the 9/11 attacks. “Pakistan had no reason to take part in that war. We have done a lot and sacrificed more than 7,000 lives while our economy suffered billions in losses in a war that was not even ours,” he said.
Published in Daily Times, August 24th 2017.
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