The Sydney Morning Herald
October 10, 2008
Pakistani politician and cricket great Imran Khan says his country is heading towards anarchy because of the war on terror.
Addressing the 2008 National Radio Conference on the Gold Coast on Friday, Khan said Pakistan was experiencing increasing suicide bomb attacks and instability since the US-led invasion of Afghanistan.
He compared Pakistan's current situation to that of Cambodia during the Vietnam War.
"Cambodia had nothing to do with the Vietnam War but the Americans at that time blamed the Cambodians for sending insurgents into Vietnam," Khan said.
"They ended up bombing Cambodia, the bombing destabilised Cambodia, a vacuum developed and that vacuum was filled by Pol Pot, a million Cambodians died and they had nothing to do with it.
"If there is not a change of strategy right now Pakistan is heading in the same direction."
Khan, who played for the Pakistani cricket team from 1971 to 1992, founded the Movement for Justice political party in 1996 and has served over five years as an elected politician.
He said it was an exciting time for the country thanks to the introduction of independent radio and television stations, which built public support for an independent judiciary and was leading towards a general democracy.
But Khan said if the US did not change its strategy in the Middle East, Pakistan could spiral into anarchy.
"We again have rising suicide attacks, the Pakistan economy is already in a meltdown situation and if these terrorist attacks keep going there is no question of Pakistan recovering from this," he said.
"The instability will grow and the country will head towards anarchy.
"If this strategy continues it's a disaster. Not just for Pakistan - a destabilised Pakistan is a disaster for the whole region.
"A hundred and sixty million people destabilised in nuclear Pakistan is in no one's interest."
Khan said the US should consider where the Taliban in was getting its funding and what were their motivations in Afghanistan.
"It has to be analysed who are these Taliban, because the sort of money they have got, it's not possible they are generating it themselves and it's not even possible that it's opium cultivation that's bringing in this money," he said.
"In my opinion the Russians are pouring in money, the Chinese are pouring in money, and it's also coming from Iran.
"All of them want the US to be stuck in Afghanistan and bleed like the Soviets bled in Afghanistan."
October 10, 2008
Pakistani politician and cricket great Imran Khan says his country is heading towards anarchy because of the war on terror.
Addressing the 2008 National Radio Conference on the Gold Coast on Friday, Khan said Pakistan was experiencing increasing suicide bomb attacks and instability since the US-led invasion of Afghanistan.
He compared Pakistan's current situation to that of Cambodia during the Vietnam War.
"Cambodia had nothing to do with the Vietnam War but the Americans at that time blamed the Cambodians for sending insurgents into Vietnam," Khan said.
"They ended up bombing Cambodia, the bombing destabilised Cambodia, a vacuum developed and that vacuum was filled by Pol Pot, a million Cambodians died and they had nothing to do with it.
"If there is not a change of strategy right now Pakistan is heading in the same direction."
Khan, who played for the Pakistani cricket team from 1971 to 1992, founded the Movement for Justice political party in 1996 and has served over five years as an elected politician.
He said it was an exciting time for the country thanks to the introduction of independent radio and television stations, which built public support for an independent judiciary and was leading towards a general democracy.
But Khan said if the US did not change its strategy in the Middle East, Pakistan could spiral into anarchy.
"We again have rising suicide attacks, the Pakistan economy is already in a meltdown situation and if these terrorist attacks keep going there is no question of Pakistan recovering from this," he said.
"The instability will grow and the country will head towards anarchy.
"If this strategy continues it's a disaster. Not just for Pakistan - a destabilised Pakistan is a disaster for the whole region.
"A hundred and sixty million people destabilised in nuclear Pakistan is in no one's interest."
Khan said the US should consider where the Taliban in was getting its funding and what were their motivations in Afghanistan.
"It has to be analysed who are these Taliban, because the sort of money they have got, it's not possible they are generating it themselves and it's not even possible that it's opium cultivation that's bringing in this money," he said.
"In my opinion the Russians are pouring in money, the Chinese are pouring in money, and it's also coming from Iran.
"All of them want the US to be stuck in Afghanistan and bleed like the Soviets bled in Afghanistan."
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