Agencies
Islamabad, July 26: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan on Thursday said that “Kashmiris were suffering for long” and that India and Pakistan must resolve the issue through talks.
“Kashmiris are suffering for long. We have to solve Kashmir issue by sitting across the table. If India’s leadership is willing then the both of us can solve this issue through dialogue. It will be good for the subcontinent also,” he said.
“If they take one step towards us, we will take two, but at least need a start,” 65-year-old Khan said in his first public address after leading his party to victory in the general elections held yesterday.
Khan said Kashmir is the “core” issue between the two countries and it should be resolved through talks.
“I am a person who arguably knows the most people in India because of my days in cricket. We can resolve the poverty crisis in South East Asia. The biggest problem is Kashmir,” he said, suggesting that the two sides should come to table to resolve it.
“We want to improve our relations with India if their leadership also wants it. This blame game that whatever goes wrong in Pakistan’s Balochistan is because of India and vice versa brings us back to square one,” he said.
“This is not how we will grow, and it is detrimental to the sub-continent,” he added.
Slamming the Indian media for portraying him as a “villain from a Bollywood film”, Imran said that the two neighbours should focus on improving ties.
“I want to thank Allah for giving me this opportunity to serve the nation. Through its ups and downs; I am grateful for being given this chance. I came into politics 22 years ago because I believe that the potential of our country was not being realised. The Pakistan that I saw growing up, deteriorated in front of my eyes. I entered politics because I wanted Pakistan to become the country that Jinnah had envisioned,” he said during his “victory speech” on Thursday. Imran gave the speech even when the Election Commission is yet to release official results. It’s unclear if PTI would get a simple majority or have to form a coalition government.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Kashmir Monitor staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
