‘Dreaming’ about premiership, Imran says meeting Trump would be 'bitter pill' to swallow

PTI chief says President Trump has treated Pakistan like a doormat

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan termed meeting US President Donald Trump as prime minister of Pakistan would be a "bitter pill" to swallow if his party wins the general elections this year.

The PTI chief, speaking foreign media at Bani Gala on Saturday, said that he would still meet him [Trump], the Voice of America reported.

"I will dread it, but I will have to swallow the bitter pill and meet him," said Imran, adding, "Whether we would be able to communicate, I am not so sure, but of course we, countries, have to work with the United States."

Responding to the Trump's accusations against Islamabad, including "lies and deceit" and harbouring militants battling American troops in the war-torn country, Imran said: "You cannot insult a country of 200 million people by blaming, scapegoating them for the disaster in Afghanistan. It was very insulting of him [Trump], the way he treated Pakistan. ... He has treated Pakistan like a doormat. I just don't think that that was very fair."

A harsh critic of the US-led war, the cricketer-turned-politician reiterated his stance that while Pakistan should have supported US campaign against terrorism, deployment of its troops in the tribal areas near Pak-Afghan border should not have been done.

He blamed the policy for terrorist attacks in the country that have killed tens of thousands of Pakistanis in the past decade and causing a dent in the economy.