Fighting someone else's war as 'gun for hire' bred terror in Pakistan, Imran tells Trump

'We must learn never to be used by others for short-term paltry financial benefits ever again' says Imran

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has said that he has always opposed Pakistan fighting the 'war on terror' on behalf of the United States (US).

Fighting someone else's war as a 'gun for hire' had bred violence and terror in the country, said Imran.

The remarks were part of PTI chief's official statement regarding the ongoing foreign policy crisis sparked by a tweet from US President Donald Trump, in which the latter had urged Pakistan to 'do more' to eliminate terrorist safe havens on its soil.



Imran said that Trump threatened Pakistan in order to hide US failures in Afghanistan. "The accusation levelled against Pakistan are deliberate and we must learn never to be used by others for short-term paltry financial benefits ever again," the statement reads.

My statement on Trump threat and what actions Pak shd undertake immediately pic.twitter.com/Cecr0dXxL3

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) January 4, 2018

Imran was of the opinion that the country had viable options of creating a cooperative framework with China, Russia and Iran as partners to seek peace in Afghanistan.

He added that the people of Pakistan expect their government and state to defend the nation’s sovereignty and integrity.



The PTI chief pointed out that the losses suffered by Pakistan as a result of being dragged into the US-led 'war on terror' had been enormous.

"We have suffered 70 thousand dead and more than $100b in losses to the economy, not to mention the polarization and radicalisation of our society," the policy statement says.

"Pakistan first allowed the CIA to create, train, and arm militant groups, and then we tried to eliminate them on the orders of the US government," Khan said in reference to the Soviet war in Afghanistan back in the 1980s.

The press release from the PTI also stresses that there was an urgent need for the country to fight terrorism in a holistic manner.

"Hostile powers are trying to use militants to foment trouble in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). Unless we mainstream FATA by merging it into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), a vacuum will give these elements space to wreak havoc across Pakistan."

According to the tweet, Imran Khan called upon the government to delink the country from an alliance with the US in the wake of the new national security policy of US President Donald Trump.

"The policy targets Pakistan while emphasising the need to give India an increasing strategic role in Afghanistan. While we do not seek a conflict with the US, Pakistan cannot continue to be the scapegoat for US failures in the region," Khan maintained.