Talks should be exhausted before use of force: Imran

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Wednesday insisted that the option of talks should be exhausted first before deciding to launch a military offensive against militant groups.
In an interview to a private TV channel, he said peace should be given a chance. “We should exhaust the option of dialogue. If this option is exhausted, then we should launch a small-scale operation.”
There are 15 major and over 30 smaller militant groups and some of those are foreign-backed, he said. According to my information, Taliban’s shura has condemned the execution of 23 FC personnel by group’s Mohmand chapter, he claimed.
“We should try to involve majority of these militant groups in the peace process and isolate others,” he suggested.
It is, however, clear that some sectarian groups, who are involved in killing Shias, don’t want to see peace in this country. These groups, he said, have no connection with Afghan war and that they should be controlled.
He pointed out that he was the only one who had raised his voice against Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ). “I have taken a firm stand on every occasion… I have raised my voice against terrorists and corrupt politicians; have condemned the LeJ by name. But can you please tell me what the Punjab government has done to control the sectarian outfits.”
The PTI chief deplored the PPP, MQM and ANP for blaming him for the government’s failure to conduct a military operation. These three parties remained in power for five years, why they did not conduct the operation, he asked.
To a question, he said that if he were the prime minister, he would have led the peace talks immediately after taking charge.
Imran Khan said that he could clearly tell the rates people had to pay in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to become senators. “There are some senators who were not even members of parties, but they were able to reach the Upper House through money,” he alleged.
He contended that there should never be indirect elections in the Senate, which will function properly if people are elected directly.
“I have no doubt about the election being rigged. From top to bottom, people are involved in the electoral fraud. We want only four constituencies to be re-opened for thumb impression verification,” he said.
“I say it again that former CEC Fakhruddin G Ibrahim was not in control of things. We also relied too much on former chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, but I was left disappointed.”
He warned that his party would hit the streets if PTI’s request for verification of votes through thumb impression in four constituencies was not furnished by the Election Commission of Pakistan.
“We have used our Insaf volunteers and health workers to immunise 1,500,000 children in three weeks with the help of 3000 police officials. I congratulate the volunteers, health workers and police for this massive success.”
He said that the efforts put in by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government have been praised by Bill Gates and WHO.
“Our campaign will continue for another three weeks. We are doing it very systematically. Besides immunisation, we want to clear the sewerage. Under the current circumstances, Insaf volunteers are doing a remarkable job.”
“We should pray that a consensus government is formed in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of coalition forces,” he said. “We don’t want to see a civil war between northern allies and Taliban like the past.”
A broad-based government should be set up in Afghanistan, but I don’t see it happening, he opined.
The PTI head noted that the last five years of PPP were terrible, but the so-called most-experienced PML-N government was even worse.
“I was expecting that there must be some change and merit. The prime minister set up a Rs 100 billion youth fund and made his daughter, Mariam Nawaz, its chairperson,” he added.