Peace process

Prime Minister Imran Khan spoke on different fronts in his recent speech in parliament. He specially talked about the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, which will be completed by September. Imran Khan has always emphasised that there is no military solution to the Afghan war. He categorically said that Pakistan will not host US bases. In the past, we faced the worst consequences when we decided to meddle in the Afghan-US war. The most unfortunate result of our past mistake was that the US did not even recognise our efforts in the war on terror. Imran Khan has now made it clear that Pakistan played a constructive role in bringing peace and prosperity in Afghanistan. Imran Khan regretted that Pakistan didn’t take a wise decision in the past. He also criticised former president General (r) Pervez Musharraf for allowing the US carry out drone attacks in Pakistan and betraying the people of Pakistan in the process. He added that Pakistan will always be ready to help the US in the peace process, but it will never be a partner in conflict. Even though Imran Khan won people’s hearts with his strong stand, the nation wants to know whether this statement will have any negative effect on the ongoing IMF programme.

However, it is Pakistan’s best interest that it sticks to its stance. We have lost around 70,000 people in the war on terror. Our struggle against terrorism still continues. We should play our role in establishing peace in Afghanistan.

Saman Amjad

Sheikhupura