Imran Khan must reform himself for Pakistan’s progress: Abbasi

Pakistan's former Prime Minister and Awam Pakistan Party (APP) convener Shahid Khaqqan Abbasi emphasised the United States would not intervene in the issues concerning the jailed former Prime Minister

Islamabad: Pakistan’s former Prime Minister and Awam Pakistan Party (APP) convener Shahid Khaqqan Abbasi said Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan must reform himself or the country will struggle to progress, a media report said on Monday.

Abbasi emphasised the United States would not intervene in the issues concerning the jailed former Prime Minister, Geo News reported.

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Commenting on the domestic political climate, Abbasi acknowledged PTI’s strong public support but warned that if the party continues with the same approach it held during its four years in power, it will not benefit. Abbasi said the 72-year-old party founder should think about the mistakes he committed and that his party needed reformation.

He added that the next government doubled the mistakes committed by the PTI. “We are trying to reach an agreement on the opposition’s thinking and we have talked about the release of political prisoners in the conference because issues in the country are through the Constitution and principles,” he said. “We have developed an attitude that sometimes we bring one (in power) and sometimes the other. If the hypocrisy in the country ends, the PTI founder will also get relief,” he said.

About the past crucial events in the country, Abbasi maintained that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif dared to carry out nuclear explosions because Pakistan had no choice after India’s move. Abbasi said Europe was threatened by Russia but America would not do anything as it was engaged in deal-making.

Pakistan will have to bring balance in relations with Russia and Europe and can play the role of a bridge between the two, he said.

He emphasised that Pakistan has to have relations with everyone, the US has always demanded that it scale down relations with China, but Beijing has never made such a demand, rather it encourages relations with everyone.