Don’t want to be US’ hired gun to fight its wars: Imran Khan

Ahead of Pakistan’s general elections on July 25, chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and a frontrunner in the nationwide polls, former cricketer Imran Khan spoke to WION on Sunday. Excerpts from the interview:

What are your priorities for if you come to power?

The biggest challenge Pakistan faces is: we are bankrupt. We are in debt and we do not have the capacity to pay it back, and therefore we are in a debt trap. We can’t raise enough finances to pay for our expenses, so we have to borrow money. And we have reached a stage where we are not capable of paying back our debts. What is the biggest challenge for the incoming government: number one, it has to raise revenues, have enough money to pay for the expenses. How does it do that? By strengthening the state and institution. That will do two things: collect revenue and stop corruption. You strengthen them by ending cronyism and corruption, because there’s only one thing you can be if you’re weakening state institutions -- corrupt.

This will bring in investment. And make Pakistan stand on its feet. The money we raise should be spent on our citizens and development. Pakistan is lagging behind in human development, even in the subcontinent.

What is the role of Islam in your program?

Pakistan was the only state made in the name of Islam. And what any Muslim state strives for, is the first Muslim state that was set up in Medina 1,400 years ago. And that will always remain the model for any Muslim state. That state was the first welfare state in the history of mankind. It brought in the rule of law, meritocracy and the it took responsibility for the weaker sections of the society. And for that is what Islam means to us: a humane state.

Are you a liberal or a conservative?

What is liberal ? Liberal is being humane. Liberal is, the way I understand it, the way you have freedom, you liberate your population by giving them the rule of law. What happens in illiberal societies is ‘might is right’. What happens in liberal societies is that the rule of law liberates people. So rule of law is very important to the weak, the minorities, the poor people. That’s why for me, liberalism is close to humanism. And it is close to freedom.

What relations do you wish to have with superpowers?

The most important factors for Pakistan are peace and stability. We have been ravaged by the Afghan war, the Soviet Union invading Afghanistan and then Pakistan becoming a frontline state. We had these Mujahideen groups to fight the Soviets. And after the Soviets left and Americans abandoned us, Pakistan was left with the militant groups and sectarianism, which was even worse. And then came 9/11, and the same Mujahideen groups, which were considered heroes during the Afghan jihad, suddenly became terrorists. And hence, Pakistan suffered.

 So you still wish to exit the war on terror that is led by the US?

Of course. We need stability and peace. We need to have good relations with everyone. We do not want a relationship with the US where Pakistan is considered a hired gun paid to fight their war.

How do you respond to allegations that you are supported by the army and security agencies?

The same allegations existed before the 2013 elections. When PTI emerged, we had “the ISI is supporting PTI”. But it was revealed that in the 2013 elections, all the players were supporting the Sharif party, including the establishment. And when a hearing took place in the Supreme Court, one of the things that came out was that the establishment was supporting PMLN. For the first time, PMLN has not been supported by the establishment. PMLN was born and nurtured in the lap of a military dictator. Nawaz Sharif was the protégé of general Zia. He picked up a businessman and made him into a politician. Then ISI backed him in 1990, in 1997, and in 2013.

So you’re saying that the ISI doesn’t have a political role in this election?

ISI would have had a political role as much as it could have in any elections. But to say that PTI has been supported is incorrect.

What personal relations do you wish to have with Donald Trump once you get elected?

I don’t know whether he’ll want to meet me... But the important thing is the relationship between our countries. The next relationship with the US should not be this one-dimensional, one-sided relationship, where Pakistan is supposed to act and then a few dollars are thrown its way. It’s cost us a lot in the past 16 years. I’d like to have a relationship that is mutually beneficial.