Islamabad: According to Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, the “appeasing” policy of terrorists by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has been put to an end by the new military and civilian leadership.
The former premier “had negotiated with the terrorists unconditionally,” according to Bilawal, who was speaking during an interview with the US television network CNBC International. Pakistan’s commitment to fighting terrorism was reaffirmed by the foreign minister, who said: “We will fight terrorism on our soil. The security threat to Pakistan will continue unless the threats from Afghanistan are removed. According to Bilawal, who was speaking of the history of military rule in Pakistan, “Pakistan’s history is not concealed from anyone. Its history includes more than half of military rule.
He noted that Pakistan is currently in a transitional stage. In highlighting the recent government’s overthrow, Bilawal stated that Imran Khan was ousted via a vote of no-confidence, marking the first time in history that a prime minister was removed by parliament in a democratic manner. Furthermore, he continued, neither the military nor the judiciary have participated in this process. The foreign minister claimed that during his tenure as army chief, Gen. (ret.) Qamar Javed Bajwa had publicly acknowledged the military’s historical involvement in politics. According to Bilawal, “it should be welcomed if the military says it wants to change its contentious conduct constitutionally.”
The PPP chairman told CNBC that “our opposition thinks that the military should play its role in politics.
“They want the military to help them bring them back to power.”
“I would encourage Imran Khan to take the democratic course. If he brings a change in his political conduct then he will have a future in politics. Unfortunately, Imran Khan does not seem to alter his course,” the foreign minister stated.
While responding to a question regarding the statement about Pakistan’s bankruptcy made by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Bilawal said: “He was talking in a political context at a political gathering and he was referring to the harsh economic times rather than speaking technically. He was talking in the overall context of the country.”
On the recent floods in the country, Bilawal said that five million acres of standing crops were destroyed, which had caused a loss of a huge chunk of Pakistan’s GDP leaving the country in extreme difficulty.
“The economic climate of Pakistan is tough. And the cherry on top, we are facing a fresh wave of terrorism we have seen since the fall of Kabul,” the minister highlighted.
“We witnessed a steady uptick in recent terrorist activity such as recent attacks in Peshawar where we lost almost a hundred lives and just two days ago the commercial capital Karachi in a broad daylight. Karachi’s regional police station was attacked. The police have successfully thwarted the attack but the fact is these things are happening.”
In response to the question of 30% of Chinese debt, foreign minister Bilawal stated that Pakistan owes debts to a lot of countries and international financial institutions.
I have no doubt of Pakistan’s “capacity and ability” to live up to its economic commitments. “The thing I said, floods have thrown us off the track and we are still working out our plans for reconstruction and rehabilitation while the relief phase continues,” the minister told the US channel.
