— Former prime minister says no permanent solution to militancy without Afghanistan’s involvement
— Accused former army chief Bajwa of ‘favouring some of the biggest crooks in the country’
LAHORE: Former prime minister Imran Khan criticised the security forces and intelligence agencies in the country for their “negligence” and blamed them for the increasing incidents of terrorism.
Khan, who was interviewed by Voice of America, when asked about his government’s decision to negotiate with Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) before its ouster in April of last year, defended his position and said he still stands by the decision to hold talks with the Afghanistan-based militant group.
The interview came amidst the central Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government’s criticism of the policies adopted by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) to handle the group following the collapse of Kabul in August 2021.
“One of the reasons that terrorism has spiked in Pakistan is because, according to the National Counter-Terrorism Authority (NACTA), the time that was taken for negotiations with TTP was used by that group to reorganise. Those talks started when you were in power. Do you stand by your decision to greenlight those talks,” the interviewer, Sarah Zaman, asked.
“Well, firstly, what were the choices [the] Pakistani government faced once the Taliban took over and they decided the TTP, and we’re talking about 30 to 40,000 people, you know, the families included, once they decided to send them back to Pakistan? Should we have just lined them up and shot them, or should we have tried to work with them to resettle them,” Khan replied.
According to the former prime minister, the intention behind the talks was to secure resettlement with the cooperation of the security forces, politicians, and the TTP in the former Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA) region.
However, he said his government’s removal in a contentious confidence vote marred by allegations of military involvement caused the new government to take its eye off the situation, allowing the TTP to regroup.
The former premier also questioned the absence of the security forces and intelligence agencies during this regrouping and asked how his government could be held responsible for their negligence.
He emphasised the need for the agencies to be vigilant and proactive in tackling the issue of terrorism in the country.
Khan also discussed Pakistan’s approach to tackling terrorism and the importance of a strong relationship with the Taliban government in Afghanistan.
He highlighted the need for joint efforts between Pakistan and Afghanistan to address the issue of terrorism, stating that another “war on terror” was not an option. He emphasised the importance of having a good relationship with the government in Kabul, as the two countries share a 2,500-kilometer border.
Khan also spoke about his past efforts to improve relations with former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and criticised Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari for not having made a single visit to Afghanistan.
Khan warned against repeating the events of 2005 to 2015, when Pakistan was grappling with terrorism along the Afghan border. He stressed the need to find a solution to the issue to prevent a similar outcome.
During his interview, Khan also weighed in on his relationship with retired Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa, who served as Pakistan’s army chief during his term in office. Khan praised the collaboration between his government and the military, observing it was instrumental in Pakistan’s success in handling the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, the ex-premier criticised Bajwa’s stance on corruption, alleging that he “favoured some of the biggest crooks in the country” and sought to provide immunity to corrupt individuals.
Khan further claimed that Bajwa had a close relationship with Shehbaz Sharif, and that this relationship played a role in the “regime change” that took place.
Khan emphasised the importance of maintaining a balance of power between the elected government and military, and stressed that the elected government must have both responsibility and authority.
The former prime minister added that he believes the new military leadership has recognised the error of the “experiment of regime change.”
