Imran believes Pakistan’s future is tied to Russia

Ex-PM says he would’ve cancelled the trip if he knew Ukraine war would start

Refusing to condemn Russia’s war with Ukraine yet reiterating his stance against military solutions, former prime minister Imran Khan has candidly revealed that he believes Pakistan’s future is tied to Russia.

In an exclusive interview with Deutsche Welle, the former chief executive explained that he is against war, considering it to be the precursor of additional problems as had been the case in Iraq and Afghanistan.

When asked why he was refraining from condemning the war in Ukraine, Imran said that while it was good to take a moral stand on the international stage, it should not be at the cost of consequential suffering of the people. He said that as the premier of the country, he only wanted to look after the interest of the people. He further explained that Pakistan can benefit from Russia by importing gas, oil and wheat for the people.

He went on to elaborate that when he was not the prime minister, he could voice his opinion on matters such as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which he condemned. However, he added, when he assumed office, his primary responsibility was to look after the people.

Read Imran praised for highlighting Kashmir issue in DW interview

Getting into the details of his trip to Moscow at the same time Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine, the former premier said that he landed in the capital a day before the war began. He added that he was scheduled to meet President Vladimir Putin the next morning, but he woke up to see the invasion happening. He denied that he was consulted on the matter. He further said that had he known that the war would begin, he would not have gone ahead with his trip to Russia.

Imran also made it clear that all stakeholders were on board as far as the trip was concerned and the country’s Foreign Office (FO) believed that cancelling the trip would jeopardise attempts of bridging ties with the northern state.

Further into the interview, despite the interviewer stopping him from pointing out the west’s “double standards”, especially when it came to the Kashmir issue, the former premier still made his point, reiterating his demand that Pakistan should be allowed to stay neutral in western conflicts.