Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan said that the United States (US) has also been “a good friend of Pakistan” but it hasn’t been an “all-weather friend” like China.

In an interview with Dr Eric Li, Director of the Advisory Committee of the China Institute of Fudan University, PM Khan said: “There have been times when the US has been very friendly but then when they think Pakistan is not of use to them, then we get abandoned. Then they again sort of become friendly.” PM said that Pakistan became a frontline state against the Soviets in Afghanistan, Pakistan became a friend of the US, and “they even helped us and they were good to us”. He added that the moment the Soviets left, “they slapped sanctions on Pakistan”.

“Ten years later when 9/11 happened, they [the US] again became very good to us but then when they could not win against Afghanistan, then we [Pakistan] were blamed for this debacle,” said PM Khan.

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PM Imran Khan said that with China, our relationship has been consistent for seven decades regardless of the government in power. “It’s a people-to-people friendship.”

“When you have no clear aims why you invaded a country, it is going to be a failure. Anyone who thinks of controlling the Afghan people has not read their history,” said PM Khan when asked about the situation after the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan. He added that the whole mission of the US in Afghanistan was “based on a false premise”.

On Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis, PM said, “If Afghanistan descends into chaos because of the sanctions, as its 75 percent economy depends on foreign aid, this will be the biggest manmade human disaster.”