While Pakistan is waiting for the election results to be officially announced, the to-be Prime Minister Imran Khan has extended an olive branch to India.
The PTI founder wishes to improve ties with India, saying the two neighbours should be friends and resolve thorny issues.
In a victory speech after initial results on Thursday showed his party’s comfortable win, the leader of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) said: “Friendship and trade relations between Pakistan and India are good for the stability in the region.”
“If India moves one step ahead, we will move two steps as we want to improve our relations with India, if their leadership also wants it,” he said in a bold speech that has surprised analysts. “If they (India) take one step towards us, we will take two,” he promised.
Speaking at his house in Islamabad’s Bani Gala suburbs, Khan said: “The blame game should end and we should stop accusing each other of whatever goes wrong either in India or Pakistan as it brings us back to the back to square one.”
Khan said he was disappointed with how Indian media had portrayed him as a “Bollywood villain” during his election campaign, adding that he knows India and its people very well because of his days in cricket. “We have to sit across the table to talk about issues, including the biggest problem of Kashmir between us,” he said, adding, “No country wants peace like we do.”
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Khan said his government would formulate clear foreign policies for all-weather ally China, India, Afghanistan, Iran and Saudi Arabia. On relations with the United States, he said expected ties to be mutually beneficial and not one-sided. “We also want stronger ties with Iran.”
He also talked about building stronger relations with Saudi Arabia. He said Saudi Arabia has stood by us in our toughest times.
Khan also pledged to introduce policies for the masses and not for the ‘elite’.
According to provisional results, Khan’s party was set to win a majority of seats (118 until the last count) to be able to form the government without any majority political alliance. He needs 172 seats out of the total 342 in the national assembly, which has 70 reserved seats, including 60 for women and 10 for minorities. Polls were held on 272 seats and he needs to win 137 to form the government. With the help of independents and smaller parties, he is comfortably placed to be the prime minister.
“I am thankful to people of Pakistan for giving me a chance to realise my dream of ‘Naya (new) Pakistan—free of corruption,” said a visibly happy Imran who was clad in white Shalwar Kameez (national dress of Pakistan).
Imran also responded to the election manipulation and rigging allegations by the other major parties who lost elections. “I promise to provide you with full assistance required to investigate such allegations,” he said. However, he made it clear, this was the most transparent election ever held in Pakistan.
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