Imran Khan vows to make Pakistan an Islamic welfare state, bats for cooperation with India

Islamabad: Imran Khan on Monday vowed to make Pakistan an Islamic welfare state as he unveiled his party’s manifesto which said the “most viable” policy to ensure peace in the region was to cooperate with India, including on the Kashmir issue within the parameters of the UNSC resolutions. The 65-year-old cricketer-turned-politician said his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has a 100- day plan to meet serious economic and administrative woes faced by the country if his party is voted to power in the 25 July elections. On the foreign policy and national defence front, the PTI’s manifesto said the party would work on a blueprint towards resolving the Kashmir issue within the parameters of the UN Security Council resolutions. [caption id=“attachment_2209396” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Imran Khan. Getty Images[/caption] “For lasting peace within our own region, especially with our neighbour India, conflict resolution and the security route to cooperation is the most viable,” the manifesto of the party said. The manifesto said, PTI’s guiding principles will be of reciprocity, mutual interests and international norms that will govern Pakistan’s relations at the bilateral and multilateral levels.  “We are committed to initiating new policies rooted in Pakistan’s priorities, including a conflict resolution approach towards improving our relation with our eastern and western neighbours,” it said. If elected, the PTI’s focus will be on moves to expand the existing strategic partnership with China, as well as with the country’s other allies in the region, including the newly emerging cooperation with Russia. With the US, reciprocity and mutuality of interest will be the determinants of our relationship, it said. It promised that the credibility of Pakistan’s full spectrum deterrence will be ensured. The PTI will move substantively on the bilateral strategic dialogue with India encompassing all aspects of the strategic nuclear deterrence so as to prevent a spiralling nuclear arms race in the region. On combat terrorism, the PTI manifesto said, immediate steps will be taken to reform the criminal judicial system and revise the anti-terror legislations so that it is precise and focused on terrorism. The PTI “will not allow Pakistan’s territory or people, including its armed forces, to be used by any other nation for the promotion of its political ideology or hegemony, for promoting terrorism or for destabilisation of any other state,” it said. In his address, Khan, Chairman of the PTI, said whoever forms the next government after July 25 will have to face biggest economic challenge ever. “The reason is obviously the debts, devaluation of rupee and failed policies, making poor the poorer,” he said. Stressing on PTI’s ‘mission’ to make Pakistan an Islamic welfare state, Khan said that his party will create a state in line with the principles that made the foundation of Medina — humanity and justice. “The manifesto we present is no ’easy-solution’. There are no easy solutions to Pakistan’s problems. We have to make major changes,” the PTI chief said. He said that the developed societies have a governance system that is based on justice and accountability. “That is what we are trying to replicate with this manifesto on Monday,” he said.  “The capability of bureaucracy to deliver effectively has diminished over time. Our institutions have been ruined over time,” he said. “The first challenge is unemployment and how to create jobs,” Khan said. “The manifesto also discusses how we will use agriculture to generate revenue. We will ensure farmers’ rights are not subjugated.” He said that if given a chance to form the government, the PTI will offer business incentives to create employment that would lead to prosperity. “Our challenge is to create one crore jobs and five million homes in our five years term,” Khan said.