Imran says a ‘powerful country’ backing India is angry with Pakistan

Ahead of Sunday’s no-trust motion against him, Prime Minister Imran Khan has said a “powerful country”, which is supporting India, is angry with Pakistan because of his recent visit to Russia to meet President Vladimir Putin.

Addressing the Islamabad Security Dialogue, Khan emphasised that an independent foreign policy was crucial for the country, and said Pakistan’s dependency on powerful nations prevented it from reaching its potential.

“A county without an independent foreign policy remains unable to secure the interests of its people,” he said.

Khan said that taking independent decisions while keeping high the interests of a nation was extremely important rather than submitting to the will of other countries in exchange for foreign aid.

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Referring to the US, he said a “powerful country” had expressed displeasure over his recent visit to Russia, the official APP news agency reported.

“On the other hand, it is supporting its ally India, which imports oil from Russia,” he said.

Khan’s comments came a day after Pakistan summoned the acting US envoy in Islamabad to the foreign ministry over a “threatening” letter and an alleged “foreign-funded plot” against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government led by Khan.

The US diplomat was summoned hours after the country’s top decision-making body on national security voiced concern over the issue during a meeting chaired by Khan on Thursday.

Khan met the Putin in the Kremlin on February 24, the day the Russian President ordered a “special military operation” against Ukraine.

Pakistan’s ties with Russia have moved past the Cold War hostilities. The chill in the relations between Pakistan and the US has further pushed the country towards Russia and China.