Imran Khan 'Regrets' Fighting Against 'Terrorists', Admits Pakistan Trained Mujahideen Against Soviets

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said he strongly feels Pakistan should have been neutral in the 'War On Terror' and the US-led military action in Afghanistan in the aftermath of 9/11 attacks. In an interview with the news channel RT, Imran Khan also expressed regret that Pakistan had to fight against some Mujahideen groups who were once trained by it- just because America regarded them as 'terrorists'.

Talking about the Afghanistan war, Imran Khan added that Pakistan lost 70,000 people and suffered a loss of over a 100 billion dollars to the economy during this war. He said Islamabad suffered great losses when it joined Washington in its action in Afghanistan and, in the end, was deemed responsible by America for its own setbacks.

Imran Khan also expressed regret that Pakistan had to fight against the same groups who where once trained by it. He admitted that Pakistan had been 'training' the Mujahideen, who were 'funded by the CIA' to wage a war against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan. He added that when it was America’s turn to attack Afghanistan, the same groups trained by Islamabad turned against Pakistan.

Imran Khan attacked the United States saying Pakistan had to fight the same 'jihadis' and call them terrorists because America termed them as such. 

Imran Khan To Visit PoK On Friday 

Imran Khan is set to issue ‘policy statement’ on Kashmir in his Friday speech in Pok’s Muzaffarabad. Pakistan is ready for a third-party mediation to resolve the Kashmir issue, said Pak foreign office on Thursday. 

India has for long maintained that Kashmir is India’s internal matter and no third-party mediation is required. New Delhi has got the support from the international community as nations like Russia, Poland, UAE have backed it over Kashmir issue saying it as ‘India’s internal matter’. 

Last month, PM Modi in his meeting with US President Donald Trump had categorically mentioned that India does not seek to ‘bother’ other countries for matters pertaining to bilateral considerations.  

In the wake of India’s decision to abrogate Article 370 and 35A in Jammu and Kashmir, Islamabad had decided to downgrade its diplomatic relations with New Delhi.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Imran Khan said Pakistan lost 70,000 people and over 100 billion dollars
• Imran admitted that Pakistan trained the Mujahideen against Soviets
• The groups trained by Islamabad turned against Pakistan in Afghanistan war