Imran’s NA speech

PM Imran touches on several key issues, key among them the foreign policy issues of the day.

Prime Minister Imran Khan touched on several key issues during his speech in the National Assembly, chief among them the foreign policy issues of the day. While some elements of the speech would leave analysts divided, it was largely commendable. Imran noted that Pakistan wanted to be “partners with the US in peace but never in conflict,” reiterating an anti-war position he has consistently held for decades before his rise to power. He also repeated his equally long-running criticism of Pakistan’s role in the current US war in Afghanistan, noting how it hurt Pakistan, and explicitly calling out former dictator Pervez Musharraf for “taking money to send people to Guantanomo Bay”, where many of them were tortured.

Imran slammed the US for bad-mouthing Pakistan instead of praising or acknowledging our sacrifices. He also spoke out against the US drone strike policy, calling it the “darkest period of our history” when a supposedly friendly nation was bombing Pakistan. On this, he noted that by lying about permission given for drone strikes, “We disrespected ourselves, the world did not disrespect us.” However, several analysts have pointed out the irony of the fact that Imran brought up the ‘Taliban Khan’ label that was attached to him for speaking out against US drone strikes, specifically because one of the prominent people who used that label was Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry, who was then a member of the PPP. Imran also noted that Pakistan would not play favourites in Afghanistan and would talk to “whoever Afghan people choose”.

On the domestic front, he called out opposition parties for rebuffing the PTI’s attempts to negotiate on election reforms. He described reforms as key to the “future of Pakistan’s democracy”, and expressed his readiness to listen to the opposition on reforms. He said the budget was made according to his vision for Pakistan, and praised the government’s work to address the current account deficit it inherited. He also praised the government’s Covid-19 response, its success in raising exports, and its social protection initiatives, but glossed over many of the hardships caused by the government’s economic policies. This also stood out, because, as the average man will tell you, everything is not ‘achha’.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 2^nd, 2021.

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