'Will not fight any other country's war', says Imran Khan; Lauds Pak army's action against terror

Islamabad, Sep 7: Asserting that he was against the war from the very beginning and his government's foreign policy will be in the best interest of the nation, Prime Minister Imran khan on Friday said Pakistan will never fight any other country's war in future.

Khan was addressing the Defence and Martyrs Day ceremony organised by the Army at its headquarters in Rawalpindi which was attended by parliamentarians, diplomats, sportspersons, artists among others.

Talking about the devastation and sufferings caused due to the war on terror, Khan said, "I was against this war from the very beginning."

"We will not become part of a war of any other country (in future)...Our foreign policy will be in the best interest of the nation," he said.

Khan, however, praised Pakistani armed forces for combating terrorism.

"No other nation has fought the war on terror like the Pakistan Army," he said.

He said role of security forces and intelligence agencies in making the country safer against all threats was unparalleled.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan

Khan also talked about investing in human capital by sending children to schools and building hospitals and system of merit so that everyone is treated equally on the pattern of first Muslim state of Medina.

"The government will bring meritocracy and transparency in all sectors by following the golden principles of state of Medina," he said.

He said Pakistan was endowed with immense resources.

"We are rich with minerals, diverse topography and four seasons and the only need is working honestly to realise the goal of making the country great," Khan said.

Rejecting the impressions of a divide between the civil administration and military, the prime minister said both were on same page regarding the issues faced by the country.

Khan said Army was the only functioning institution in Pakistan where no political interference takes place and everything is run on merit.

Pakistan Army Chief Qamar Javed Bajwa

Army chief general Qamar Javed Bajwa said Pakistan learnt a lot from the wars of 1965 and 1971 and has made the defence impregnable by developing nuclear weapons.

He said Pakistan had paid a huge cost for its war of terrorism.

"More than 70,000 people have been killed and injured due to militancy in the country. The economic losses and burden on national exchequer is in addition to human losses," he said.

Bajwa said after making the defence strong, it is high time now to wage war against hunger and poverty.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo

Khan's remark comes two days after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made his first official trip to Pakistan during which he said that nearly $300 million in security-related funding to Pakistan that the US suspended could be back on the table if the White House believes Pakistan is making sufficient progress in the fight against terrorist groups. Pompeo suggested that he had not received firm enough commitments yet to warrant re-establishing that aid.

US President Donald Trump

The Trump administration has claimed Islamabad is granting safe haven to terrorists who are waging a 17-year-old war in neighboring Afghanistan - a charge Pakistan denies. Announcing the initial suspension of funds in January, President Donald Trump accused Islamabad of "lies & deceit." In January, Trump had blasted Pakistan for its unwillingness or inability to act against terrorist groups like the Taliban-linked Haqqani network.

OneIndia News with PTI inputs