“Have received love and respect from India”: Pakistan’s PM Imran Khan

“Had there been another Indian leadership, I think we would have had a good relationship,” Khan said in an interview

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that he understands India better than most Pakistani’s. The remarks were made during an interview with the New York Times where he talked about Pakistan’s foreign policy after the US withdraws its troops from Afghanistan. The ex-cricketer added that he has received love and respect from India because cricket is like a religion in both the neighbouring countries.

Here are some other topics on which the Pakistani Prime Minister spoke:

Trade relations with India:

During the interview, Khan talked of a civilised trade relation with India which he says can alleviate poverty in Pakistan. He claimed that he reached out to Prime Minister Modi after coming to power but that the ideology of RSS became an obstruction. “Had there been another Indian leadership, I think we would have had a good relationship,” Khan added.

Situation in Afghanistan:

Amid the withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan, Imran Khan expressed his support for Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. He said that Pakistan would recognise any government chosen by the people of Afghanistan. When asked about the possibility of a military takeover by the Taliban, Khan said that his country would not get involved in the conflict(by taking action against the Taliban) and would seal the Durand Line(official border between Pakistan and Afganistan). On relations with the Taliban, Khan asserted that his leverage over the Islamist group had weakened after the peace deal between the US and Taliban in February 2020.

US-Pakistan relations:

Talking of Pakistan’s bilateral relations with the US, Khan said the current focus of the two countries was on establishing a political solution in neighbouring Afghanistan. Post withdrawal, he would prefer better relations with the US including trade relations.

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