Imran Khan stressed that an independent foreign policy is important for the country. (file)
Islamabad:
Ahead of a no-confidence motion against him on Sunday, Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Friday that a “powerful country”, which is backing India, is angry with Pakistan over a recent visit to Russia to meet President Vladimir Putin. Is.
Addressing the Islamabad security talks, Imran Khan stressed that an independent foreign policy was important for the country, and said that Pakistan could not touch its peak potential because of its dependency syndrome on other powerful nations.
“Without an independent foreign policy, a country is unable to secure the interests of its people,” he said.
Imran Khan said that taking independent decisions keeping the interests of one nation high was of utmost importance rather than succumbing to the wishes of other countries in return for foreign aid.
Referring to the US, he said a “powerful country” had expressed displeasure over his recent visit to Russia, the official APP news agency reported.
“On the other hand, it is supporting its ally India which imports oil from Russia,” he lamented.
Khan’s remarks came a day after Pakistan summoned the acting US envoy to the Foreign Office in Islamabad over a “threatening” letter against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government and an alleged “foreign funded conspiracy”.
The US diplomat was summoned hours after the country’s top decision-making body on national security expressed concern over the issue during a meeting chaired by Khan on Thursday.
Khan met with Russian President Putin in the Kremlin on February 24, the day the Russian president ordered a “special military operation” against Ukraine.
Pakistan’s relations with Russia have overtaken bitter Cold War hostility in recent years, and the cooling in relations between Pakistan and the US has pushed the country towards Russia and China.
US President Joe Biden has not made a customary call to Prime Minister Khan since taking office in January 2021.
In his speech, Khan said that his government has pursued an independent foreign policy.
“How can a country interfere in the affairs of a free state,” he said. “But don’t blame them, because it’s our fault because we gave them that impression.” He said that for their selfishness, the elite class of Pakistan threw the country on the altar and put its self-respect at stake.
Last month, Pakistan refrained from voting in a United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution that called on Russia to stop the war against Ukraine, and urged that the conflict be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy.
Khan has been claiming that the opposition’s no-confidence motion against him was the result of a “foreign conspiracy” because of his independent foreign policy and that foreign funds were being used to oust him from power.
The 69-year-old crisis-ridden prime minister effectively lost a majority in parliament on Wednesday after joining the opposition of the Muttahida Quami Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), a key ally of the ruling coalition, which moved a no-confidence motion. Resolution against his government in the National Assembly. A crucial vote on the no-confidence motion will be held on Sunday.
Taking a jibe at the Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif, Khan said, “Those who are preparing to go to the Prime Minister’s Office, they are giving interviews that my statement will anger America and Pakistan cannot live without its support.” ” The Prime Minister said that the decisions of past politicians have created such a situation that no foreign country respects Pakistan.
“They give us orders. They say if the no-confidence motion is not successful, there will be consequences for Pakistan,” he said.
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)