ISLAMABAD – Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that the so-called War onTerror bred terrorists due to the civilian casualties caused by droneattacks in war-ravaged Afghanistan as he lamented joining the US-ledcoalition.
Khan shared his views during an exclusive interview with *CNN’s *FareedZakaria, which was aired on Sunday.
The premier said US military actions produced more terrorists as it wentalong. “I can tell you from Pakistan’s example because by joining theUnited States, we lost 80,000 people,” he said.
“I am convinced as it’s exactly the same what happened in Afghanistan,” PMsaid while condemning the night raids and drone attacks saying the “US mustreview its policy”.
Americans were being told that these attacks were accurate and onlyterrorists were targeted. “Bombs exploding in villages; how would they onlyeliminate terrorists?” he asked, terming it as ‘collateral damage’.
US people didn’t know the amount of collateral damage that happened as itwas us who bore the brunt, PM said. We faced revenge attacks for being partof the US coalition, he said while recalling suicide attacks across thecountry.
PM further added, “You can’t compare, during the height of the ‘war onterror’ that Islamabad was a fortress. You had suicide attacks going oneverywhere. Compared to what used to happen, terrorism is almostinsignificant now.No other option for world but to engage with Taliban
Prime Minister said the world community needs to engage with the interimAfghan setup saying that there is no alternative to the Taliban regime andno one can replace them right now.
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The only alternative we have right now is to work with the Taliban andincentivize them for what the world wants including an inclusivegovernment, human rights, and women rights, in particular, he stressed.
Kabul can go into chaos and a humanitarian crisis will occur if the Talibanare abandoned and if these sanctions stay there and the banking system hasno liquidity left amid severe sanctions, Khan said.
Emphasizing the implication of the distressing situation in the neighboringcountry, PM said Pakistan also facing refugee’s problem and terror attackssaying it’s the aftermath of instability in Afghanistan.
Stressing negotiations with the war-torn nation, Khan maintained that theTaliban was a very strong ideological movement and they represented aculture that was completely alien to the western societies.
PM said Pakistan is already home to nearly three million Afghan refugeessaying when the Taliban took over Kabul last year, the flood of refugeessurfaced and almost 250,000 Afghans crossed into Pakistan.
PM mentioned three terror groups that are trying their best to createinstability including TTP which had conducted attacks inside Pakistan,there were the Baloch insurgents who were conducting attacks especiallyrecently, and then there were Islamic State terrorists.
