Afghanistan Times
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KABUL: In his maiden trip to US as Pakistan’s Premier, Imran Khan Sunday said Afghan war doesn’t have a military solution, adding that in his meeting with President Donald Trump on Monday he will stress the need for political resolution to the prolonged war in Afghanistan.
Addressing a big gathering of Pakistani diaspora late on Sunday in Washington, Khan said: “I have repeatedly said the issue (Afghan war) is not soluble militarily. They have criticized me for it, called me a terrorist, called me Taliban Khan, but God is fair and today the whole world believes that war is not a solution in Afghanistan.”
Khan, who has embarked on a three-day official visit in a bid to repair strained bilateral ties, expressed the remarks hours before his meeting with Donald Trump slated for Monday at the White House.
According to an American official, Trump will put pressure on Khan to take practical and serious steps towards counterterrorism and utterly support the Afghan peace process.
This comes in the midst of severe economic and political pressure put on Pakistan by the Trump’s administration. On November last year, the US government suspended millions of dollars aid to Pakistan. Trump has accused Pakistan of making no effort in countering terrorism on its soil, saying that Islamabad has offered nothing but lies and deceitful policies.
Furthermore, Pakistan has been frequently criticized by Afghan and US officials for harboring and paving the ground for insurgent groups on its territory. But Pakistan time and again has denied the allegations in this regard.
The Afghan government expects that the US will seriously press Pakistan to change its policy against Afghanistan and renounce backing the Taliban militants.
Meanwhile, a presidential spokesman, Siddiq Siddiqi, said Sunday that Khan looks for a democratic and stable Afghanistan in Pakistan’s interest, adding, however, that important issues need to be discussed and clarified. “The test for the Afghan people and the government will be momentum towards genuine and lasting peace and will be a linear process for normalization between the two sovereign states,” he added.
