56
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf chief Imran Khan rejected the idea that he represented the Taliban, saying that he disagreed with the militant movement's interpretation of Sharia Law.
“Clearly, I don’t represent Taliban,” Khan said in an interview with news organisation Bloomberg.
The PTI chief said that he completely rejects the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) use of violence in their aim to implement Islamic law in the country.
He said that the militant group will have to accept that change will only come in Pakistan through election's and the constitutional process.
“You can’t impose it (Islamic law) through the barrel of a gun,” Imran Khan said.
During the interview Khan expressed his pessimism that peace talks between the government and the TTP will succeed.
He said that the talks would probably fail and subsequent military operation will result in an increase in terrorism in the country.
“The most likely result is that the negotiations will start, there will be about three or four big explosions and terrorist attacks and the negotiations will be called off,” Khan said in the interview.
“There will be people baying for blood and the operation will start.”
The PTI chief also said that US drone attacks have to stop in order to prevent the derailment of the peace process.
“If the US stops drone attacks, announces stopping the drone attacks during the talks, it would be a big plus point,” Khan told Bloomberg.
He said that talks that had earlier been attempted were sabotaged by the US after a drone strike had killed TTP leader Hakimullah Mehsud.
“The US doesn’t want there to be peace talks here or peace in Pakistan while they are leaving Afghanistan,” Khan told Bloomberg.
“The thinking is that if they are engaged here, they would not be going across to fight.”
Imran Khan also criticised Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, saying that the premier took far too long to initiate peace talks after the May 2013 elections.
He said that Sharif's negotiating team reflected a lack of seriousness on the part of the prime minister.
“If I was him, I would lead it myself.... It’s too important an issue for Pakistan,” Imran Khan said.
The PTI chief was adamant that Pakistan would have to disengage from the US war in Afghanistan, saying that defeating the militants would only be possible if there was space between the two countries.
“We will win this war if we disengage from the US war,” he said.
“As long as we are thought of fighting the US war, they would declare jihad on us, there would be the deadly suicide bomber. This would be a never-ending war,” Imran Khan told Bloomberg.
