Khan: Pakistan’s ties with US akin to that of ‘master-servant’
FORMER Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan has said that he wants the United States to have a “dignified relationship” with Pakistan similar to what it shares with India. “I basically want a dignified relationship with the US like India. India has a very dignified relationship with the US,” the former cricketer told Financial Times last week.
The remarks come in the wake of Khan’s claims the US had conspired to remove him as prime minister a few months ago.
Citing India’s decision to import Russian oil despite the ongoing war, Khan said that India says “no” to the US and takes priority for its people. He said that Pakistan wants to be partners with the US but there must be occasions where they “should be allowed to say no.”
Terming the ties between Islamabad and Washington as akin to one of a “master-servant”, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief claimed that Pakistan had been used like a “hired gun” and blamed the previous governments for it.
“Our relationship with the US has been as of a master-servant relationship, or a master-slave relationship, and we’ve been used like a hired gun. But for that I blame my own governments more than the US,” Financial Times quoted Imran Khan.
While referring to the alleged “conspiracy” regarding his ouster from power, Imran Khan said that “it’s over.” He said that the US could not have been successful in their desires without people in Pakistan who “actively” participated in it.
“As far as I’m concerned, it’s over, it’s behind me. But, whatever the US desires could not have happened without people here who actively took part in the conspiracy to get rid of me,” Imran Khan told Financial Times.
Notably, Imran Khan was removed from office through a vote of no-confidence by the then-opposition in April this year. He has often accused the US and the then-opposition for his ouster.
The allegations made by the PTI chief have been denied by Washington. In the interview with Financial Times, Imran Khan also termed “embarrassing” his visit to Moscow a day before Russia launched an offensive in Ukraine.
It is pertinent to mention here Imran Khan is leading an antigovernment march in Pakistan with convoys from different cities heading towards Islamabad, Geo News reported. He has been demanding a date for general elections in Pakistan in due time.