April 8, 2003	Tuesday	Safar 5, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, April 7: Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan wants policy changes — from freeing politics from the establishment’s hold, to fighting corruption, to independence from the perceived subservience to America, to a rejuvenated cricket set-up.

The former cricket hero-turned-politician told a panel of interviewers in the Dawn Dialogue series that the performance of President Pervez Musharraf, whom he supported initially, had disappointed him and their paths finally diverged after intelligence agencies wanted him to join pro-establishment parties, including the Pakistan Muslim League-Q.

Imran Khan, a respected voice despite being the only member in parliament, of his fledgling party, acknowledged a measure of economic stability given by President Musharraf’s government, partly because of Pakistan’s alliance with the US-led war on terrorism, but said poverty had increased.

He said the regime’s political performance was a disaster and he was sceptical about the chances of the new National Assembly completing its five-year term because of the absence of a real transfer of power and odd compromises to form governments at the Centre and in Sindh.

He called for a resumption of deadlocked peace talks with New Delhi to settle the dispute over Kashmir and for Pakistan’s contacts with India’s liberal movement.