ISLAMABAD: Former Britain Prime Minister Tony Blair cannot absolve himself of the deaths of thousands of Iraqis, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan said on Thursday.
“Shameful how Blair unrepentant over Iraq invasion despite findings of Chilcot report and only ‘regret’ is for loss of 179 UK soldiers in Iraq,” Imran said.
In a series of tweets, the PTI chief criticised Blair after an official inquiry concluded Wednesday that Britain’s decision to go to war in Iraq was a failure born of flawed intelligence, lack of foresight and “wholly inadequate” planning.
“How can Blair absolve himself of the deaths of thousands of Iraqis as a result of US-UK-led invasion and of chaos unleashed in the region,” he said.
Imran, who has been a vocal critic of US-led invasion in Afghanistan and human rights violations caused by US drone strikes in Pakistan’s tribal areas, held Blair and his allies responsible for lawlessness that has engulfed Arab states.
“How can Blair absolve himself of extremism and civil wars that began in Arab states and continue to date as well as the emergence of ISIS,” he said.
The 63-year-old politician, whose party govern Pakistan’s northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, demanded accountability “for a war based on lies”.
“Surely there must be accountability for a war based on lies/deliberate misrepresentation causing continuing chaos, violence and death,” he said.
In the inquiry report chaired by John Chilcot, Blair’s statement to UK parliament in 2002 about the risk posed by Iraq’s alleged weapons of mass destruction and an intelligence dossier to the public that accompanied it were concluded to be presented with a “certainty that was not justified”.
Chilcot outlined a catalogue of failures made in the run-up to and aftermath of the war.
He said days before the invasion, Blair had been asked by the government’s top lawyer to confirm Iraq had committed breaches of a United Nations Security Council resolution, which would justify war.
Blair acknowledged such breaches had been committed but Chilcot said, “The precise basis on which Mr Blair made that decision is not clear.”
He also said Blair changed his case for war from focusing on Iraq’s “vast stocks” of illegal weapons to Saddam Hussein having the intent to obtain such weapons and being in breach of UN resolutions.
“That was not, however, the explanation for military action he had given before the conflict,” Chilcot said.
But Blair defended his decision to take Britain to war in Iraq in 2003.
Addressing a lengthy press conference following release of the inquiry report, he said: “I believe we made the right decision and the world is better and safer.”
