BJP biggest barrier in India, Pak friendship: Imran

Islamabad: Former Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan has said that there should be good relations between India and Pakistan. However, he added that this is not possible as long as there is a BJP government in India.

In an interview to the British newspaper The Telegraph, Imran talked about the economic benefits of good relations between the two countries.

“Both India and Pakistan will benefit immensely from a friendly relationship. But India’s stand on Jammu and Kashmir is the biggest stumbling block in the relationship,” Imran Khan said.

“I think good relations are possible, but the BJP government is hardline and it runs on the issue of nationalism. If the genie of nationalism comes out of the bottle, it becomes difficult to send it inside,” the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief added.

Imran Khan may be talking about improving relations with India, but relations between the two countries had deteriorated when the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was the ruling party in Pakistan. At that time, Pakistan had decided to end trade relations with India, a decision which later came back to haunt them.

Imran Khan said the reason behind that decision was the removal of Article 370 from Kashmir. On August 5, 2019, India had abolished Article 370 which had bestowed special status on the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.

“We want good relations with all the neighbors of Pakistan including Afghanistan, Iran and China. We do not want a Cold War-like situation once again,” the PTI leader said.

 

Imran sold a gold medal received from India: Minister

Islamabad: Pakistan Defense Minister Khawaja Asif claimed that former premier Imran Khan sold a gold medal which he had received from India. Asif said he was told at a program that the PTI chairman had sold a gold medal which he had received from India, The Express Tribune reported.

Khan had been disqualified by the Election Commission of Pakistan for making “false statements and incorrect declaration” in the Toshakhana issue, Express Tribune reported.

On September 8, the PTI chief admitted in a written reply that he had sold at least four presents he had received during his tenure as premier. Asif claimed that the PTI members used to ask Imran for funds for the constituencies but the former premier would instead ask them for sloganeering against the incumbent government.

“Imran has gone mad for power,” he added.

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