Said nothing against EU: PM Imran Khan

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday maintained that he had not uttered anything against the European Union (EU) as Pakistan wants cordial ties with all the countries and is not against any country.

However he made it clear that no country would be allowed to work against Pakistan. He said that he reminded the EU that Pakistan was their ally in war against terrorism and that the Pakistani nation had sacrificed 80,000 people in this war as the tribal areas of Pakistan suffered worst destruction and over 3500, 000 had been displaced but the world did not acknowledge these sacrifices. He said that Pakistan stands by those who would come out for peace but would not side with anyone seeking war.

Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Shaukat Tarin said on Wednesday that it was the prerogative of Prime Minister Imran Khan to criticize the European Union and the US for showing double standards but added in the same breath that the premier should not have criticized the EU publicly.

In his news conference here at the Pak-China Friendship Center on Wednesday, a journalist inquired about the finance minister’s stance on PM's criticism on the European Union and its effects on Pakistan’s exports, the finance minister replied that it was the PM’s right to express his views and expose double standards adopted by the EU and other Western world countries. He cited the example of Kashmir and said that no one had extended cooperation, so it exposed double standards. He said that probably the premier should not have publicly criticized the EU.

It is relevant to mention here that the PM had publicly criticized the EU and other western world in a public rally held at Malisi last week when Western ambassadors wrote a letter to Pakistan expressing concerns over Islamabad’s stance in the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.

The EU and US are the largest trading partners of Pakistan where a major chunk of exports upto 70 percent goes on an annual basis. The EU is going to finalize a fresh GSP Plus in next fiscal year, so the latest strained relations might have far-reaching impact on bilateral trade ties.

Meanwhile, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Hussain Chaudhry came hard on the Leader of Opposition and PMLN President Shehbaz Sharif for saying they decided to bring the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan for his criticism on the European Union. “I ask him if the European Union is your phuppho (aunty). Just have the idea of his understanding as we have to make our foreign policy for our country’s interests and not for their interests and this for the first time after Zulfikar Ali Bhutto that an independent policy is being followed,” he remarked.