Want friendly ties, talks with India: Imran Khan
Islamabad, July 26 : Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan, who is set to be the new Pakistan Prime Minister, on Thursday said his government would seek good relations with India and would like leaders of the two countries to sit across the table and resolve all disputes, including the "core issue" of Kashmir.
"If Indian leadership is ready, we are ready to improve relationship. If you take one step, we are ready to take two. Now it is one sided blame on Pakistan. We have to resolve the main issue through dialogue. This is important for the sub-continent," Khan told the media here as results indicated that his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was close to majority in the 272-member National Assembly.
At the same time, he blew hot over the Kashmir issue, alleging that there were human rights violations by security forces.
"Kashmiri people have suffered in the last 30 years," said Khan, known for his hardline towards India and is widely believed to be having the backing of the Pakistan Army.
He said there has been a blame game between India and Pakistan with New Delhi holding Islamabad responsible for all its problems. And Pakistan is blaming India for what is happening in Balochistan, he said.
"We are (back to ) square one. We are ready to improve relationship with India. Now it is a one way blame on Pakistan."
He said trade between India and Pakistan can be instrumental in eradicating poverty in the sub-continent which should be the focus of the two countries.
Khan lamented that the Indian media had projected him as a Bollywood villain. "I am a Pakistani who is most popular in India because I played there. I am a Pakistani who wants friendly relationship with India."
Khan said his government would take all efforts for bringing peace in Afghanistan with which Pakistan would like to have open border while trying to strengthen ties with Pakistan's all-weather friend China.
With the US, he said, his administration would like to have mutually beneficial ties. "This has been one way so far. We should have a balanced relationship."
Set to capture power after being in politics for 22 years, the firebrand politician said he would not indulge in political victimization but would implement the law against those who go against the law of the land.
He said he would root out corruption which was the bane of the country and he would himself be accoutable first.
"The National Accountability Bureau will be strengthened and the law will be same for everyone.
He said the Pakistan economy was the most challenged and dysfunctional with high fiscal and trade deficits and the value of rupee plunging deep.
Khan pledged austerity measures for the government and said he himself won't live in a "palace like" Prime Minister's residence but would prefer a house in the ministers enclave.
On his priorities as the head of the new government, Khan said governance system had collapsed in Pakistan and he would like to set it right first with all policies for poor and the common man and not for elites.
"All our policies will be for workers, farmers. We are not able to give proper healthcare and Pakistan has the highest maternal mortality rate."
Rejecting his rivals' charges that the just concluded elections were rigged in his favour, Khan said this was one of the cleanest polls Pakistan ever held.
"I want to tell those who are saying that elections are rigged that we are ready to investigate." he said.
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Indian mobile hospital treats over 2,200 cyclone-hit people as New Delhi ramps up relief efforts in
Colombo (PTI): A mobile hospital set up by India in Sri Lanka has provided medical care to over 2,200 people affected by Cyclone Ditwah, as New Delhi ramped up its assistance to the flood-ravaged island nation with engineering support and delivery of fresh relief consignments, the Indian mission here said on Sunday.
Sri Lanka has been grappling with widespread flooding, landslides and severe infrastructure collapse triggered by the cyclone, leaving several districts isolated and severely straining the country's disaster-response capacity.
At least 627 people have been killed and 190 remain missing as of Sunday noon due to catastrophic floods and landslides caused by extreme weather conditions since November 16.
Sharing a social media post by the Ministry of External Affairs on its X handle, the Indian High Commission said a field hospital set up by India in Mahiyanganaya near Kandy has provided medical care to more than 2,200 people affected by the cyclone since December 5.
The hospital has also performed 67 minor procedures and three surgeries, it said. The field hospital was airlifted to Sri Lanka by an IAF C-17 aircraft along with a 78-member Indian medical team on Tuesday.
In another post, the mission said Indian Army engineers, working with Sri Lanka Army Engineers and the Road Development Authority, in Kilinochchi have begun removing a damaged bridge on the Paranthan–Karachchi–Mullaitivu (A35) road, a key route disrupted by the cyclone.
"This joint effort marks another step toward restoring vital connectivity for affected communities," it said.
India has additionally sent nearly 1,000 tonnes of food items and clothing contributed by the people of Tamil Nadu. Of these, about 300 tonnes reached Colombo on Sunday morning aboard three Indian Naval ships.
High Commissioner Santosh Jha handed over the supplies to Sri Lankan Minister for Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development Wasantha Samarasinghe.
India, on November 28, launched 'Operation Sagar Bandhu', a Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) initiative, to aid Sri Lanka in its recovery from the devastation caused by Cyclone Ditwah.
Since the launch of the operation, India has provided about 58 tonnes of relief material, including dry rations, tents, tarpaulins, hygiene kits, essential cloths, water purification kits and about 4.5 tonnes of medicines and surgical equipment, the Indian mission said in a press release on Sunday.
Another 60 tonnes of equipment, including generators, inflatable rescue boats, Outboard Motors, and excavators, have also been brought to Sri Lanka, it said, adding that 185 tonnes of Bailey Bridge units were airlifted to restore critical connectivity along with 44 engineers.
Two columns of the National Disaster Response Force, comprising 80 experts and K9 units with specially trained dogs, assisted with immediate rescue and relief efforts in Sri Lanka.
Besides the field hospital in Mahiyanganaya, medical centres have also been set up in the badly hit Ja-Ela region and in Negombo. INS Vikrant, INS Udaygiri, and INS Sukanya provided immediate rescue and relief assistance to Sri Lanka.
Apart from the two Chetak helicopters deployed from INS Vikrant, two heavy-lift, MI-17 helicopters of the Indian Air Force are actively involved in evacuations and airlifting relief material, the release said.
At the request of the Sri Lankan Disaster Management Centre, a virtual meeting was organised between DMC and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)'s National Remote Sensing Centre on Saturday.
Since the onset of the disaster, ISRO has been providing maps to assist DMC in its rescue efforts, the release said.
