IMRAN KHAN WITH KARAN THAPER

Karan Thapar: Let me press this like this, the LeT was supposedly declared a militant group and prescribed way back in 2002. But it simply re-morphed and re-appeared as Jamat ud Dawa and Falat-e-Insaniyat and it operates freely as you know. Hafiz Saeed, its leader, regularly makes anti-India hate speeches. Will you put a stop to that?

Imran Khan: Well, I again repeat, that if there are no militant groups operating from within Pakistan, which should be our statement policy, and as things stand today, Pakistan has no choice but to go this route.

Karan Thapar: But when you say no militant groups does that specifically include not just LeT, but also Jamat ud Dawa, Falat-e-Insaniyat, Jaish e Mohammad, in other words those groups that target India?

Imran Khan: Well not just India. There are groups that are targetting people within Pakistan. We have a number of militant groups.

Karan Thapar: But you are not answering my question. The Indians will think you are evading it.

Imran Khan: No. When I say no militant groups, it means no militant groups.

Karan Thapar: Including Jamat ud Dawa?

Imran Khan: Exactly. There would not be any militant groups operating within Pakistan. How can I be more specific than that?

Karan Thapar: Would you name Jamat ud Dawa, Falat-e-Insaniyat and Hafez Saeed and say that you will put a check to these three people? Will you name them?

Imran Khan: Look, I am living in Pakistan. Pakistan at the moment is the most polarised country in the world. A governor gets shot, his assassin becomes a hero. There’s no point in becoming a hero right now in this country where there’s no rule of law. Life is very cheap here. So, just let me put it as a policy statement. Don’t just go into details. As a policy statement, it should answer your question. No militant groups operating from within Pakistan.

Karan Thapar: Let me raise a second concern that India had. They believe, and the Americans agree, and similarly believe that the ISI has been involved in carrying out terror attacks against India, whether its through the Haqqani group targetting the Indian embassy in Kabul or whether its through the LeT targetting Mumbai in 2008. Will you reign in the ISI?

Imran Khan: Well, in your last interview I said as the Prime Minister of a country where the responsibility lies on me, so should the authority be on me. Its not going to happen that here’s me holding responsibility and some group is operating independently, whether its ISI or any other group. So the answer is ISI and the Army would be under a civilian governmental control. And if I can’t do it, I would much rather resign. But if I take responsibility it would mean that whatever policies made by our Cabinet will have to be enforced at every section, with every institution. Now when you come to Afghanistan, I just have one tiny comment to make. To blame Pakistan where 140, 000 troops of the United States and NATO have failed, the greatest military machinery ever has failed and to blame a few thousand Haqqani group from Pakistan, not allowing them to win in Afghanistan, not only is this completely not plausible but its defying history. Afghans have never accepted foreign invaders.