“The elections were the most fraudulent in the history of Pakistan,” said Imran Khan (File)
Islamabad:
Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, who blames the military for his dismissal and 12-month imprisonment on what he calls trumped-up charges, said on Sunday it would be “foolish” not to have “excellent” relations with the army .
Ahead of the anniversary of his arrest on Monday on dozens of charges ranging from corruption to leaking state secrets, Khan also said in written responses to questions from Reuters that he bore no grudge against the United States, which he also blamed for his removal from office in 2022.
“Given Pakistan’s geographic position and the military’s significant role in the private sector, it would be foolish not to promote such a relationship,” wrote Imran Khan in responses relayed by his media and legal team.
“We are proud of our soldiers and armed forces,” he said.
Imran Khan has said that his criticism since his dismissal has been directed at individuals rather than the military as an institution. “Military leadership’s miscalculations should not be held against the institution as a whole.”
On Wednesday, Imran Khan offered to hold “conditional negotiations” with the South Asian country’s military – if “clean and transparent” elections were held and “false” cases against his supporters were dropped.
Pakistan’s army and government did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Imran Khan’s comments to Reuters. Both have repeatedly denied his claims.
The United States denies any role in his dismissal.
In his responses, the 71-year-old former cricket star did not specify what he would like to discuss with the military.
‘OPEN TO ANY DIALOGUE’ WITH THE ARMY
The army, which has ruled Pakistan for more than half of its 76-year independent history, plays an enormous role in politics and governance in the nation of 240 million people.
No Pakistani prime minister has completed a full five-year term and most have served time in prison. Analysts say most of them were released after reaching deals with the military, a claim the army denies.
Imran Khan, who lost power in a parliamentary vote of no confidence after falling out with the generals, said the army has supported what he calls politically motivated cases against him, which the military has denied.
Still, he said, there would be “no harm” in engaging with the generals if he were released from prison and tried to return to power.
“We are open to any dialogue that could help improve the dire situation in Pakistan,” he said, adding that it was futile to start such talks with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s coalition government, which he said did not enjoy public support. because he claims he won a stolen election in February.
Instead, Imran Khan said, it would be “more productive to interact with those who actually wield power.”
The military – which claims Imran Khan and his party were behind attacks on military installations last year during widespread protests against his detention – has already ruled out any talks with him.
Imran Khan’s arrest has increased political volatility in Pakistan, which has experienced a prolonged economic crisis and received a bailout from the International Monetary Fund last month.
Political instability since Imran Khan’s departure from power helped force Islamabad to accept the IMF’s painful fiscal consolidation demands, which have burdened the people with heavy taxes, analysts say.
The IMF called for political stability to help put the $350 billion economy on a recovery path.
Imran Khan rejected the idea of reaching an out-of-court settlement with the government or military unless they accepted that his PTI party had won a majority in the February elections.
“The elections were the most fraudulent in Pakistan’s history,” Imran Khan told Reuters.
(Except the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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