'Imran Khan A Security Risk For Pakistan': PM Gets Slammed At Home For International Failure

Pakistan is trying hard to project Prime Minister Imran Khan's visit to United State as a success. However, it has so far failed much progress in its mission to internationalise the Kashmir issue. President Donald Trump who had made an offer to mediate after meeting Imran Khan, has now changed his tone after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and called for India and Pakistan to 'work it out' among themselves. The success of 'Howdy, Modi!' event in Houston where Modi and Trump appeared together in front of a record crowd has also been a big blow to Pakistan's ambition. 

Now, ahead of his address to United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Imran Khan is being slammed for the failures of his international visits by Pakistan's opposition. One of the main ppposition parties, the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) on Thursday said that Khan has become a "security risk" for the country and he should be banned from international visits as his irresponsible remarks during overseas tours have harmed the country.

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Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar in a statement here on Thursday said instead of fighting his country's cases, Prime Minister Khan turns against Pakistan on foreign visits and it has become an excuse for the Indian media to ridicule Pakistan.

"Previously, when he had gone to Iran he had accused his own country of being a terrorist state and now he has made Pakistan a laughing stock yet again. During his recent US visit, he has accused Pakistan Army and ISI to have trained Al-Qaeda which is harmful to the country," said the senator.

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Khan while speaking at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) think-tank in New York on Monday said that Pakistan "committed one of the biggest blunders" when it joined the US war on terror after the 9/11 terror attacks by the al-Qaeda.

Asked how Osama bin Laden had managed to stay in Pakistan undiscovered, Khan had said: "The Pakistani Army, ISI, trained Al-Qaeda and all these troops to fight in Afghanistan and then maintained links with the militants afterwards."

Criticising the prime minister for his statements, the PPP senator said that at least Khan should be banned from holding press conferences or delivering speeches while abroad.

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"Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi himself is an aspirant to be the prime minister so he cannot be trusted. It is possible that Qureshi intentionally puts Khan on wrong track," he said, adding this is the "height of irresponsibility" from a country's representative blaming its army and premier intelligence agency of training Al-Qaeda.

"PM Khan needs to understand the difference between a container and an international forum. He concluded by saying that PM Khan's foreign visits are a threat to national security," the PPP senator said.

Khan's comments at the New York think tank ahead of his speech at the United Nations General Assembly drew flak from the Opposition parties which termed it "highly irresponsible" and said that he had become a "security risk" for the country. 

(With PTI Inputs)