The new leader of Pakistan promises to restore relations with the United States



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Former cricket star

Imran Khan

swept to power in a contested Pakistani election, toppling the political landscape in a fragile democracy that should now be ruled by a sharp criticism of the United States.

The scale of victory has far exceeded the predictions of the United States. Experts, based on near-final votes in Wednesday's election results were very delayed, which will likely allow his party to form a government and appoint him prime minister.

But his victory, which many of his rivals have denounced as being tainted with irregularities and help from the powerful military forces and political compromises that, according to critics, could undermine his ambitious agenda [19659004"Iwillprovethatwecanfixoursystemofgovernance"KhansaidinhisvictoryspeechonThursday"Allofourpolicieswillaimtohelptheweakestmembersofoursociety"

Khan called for a new "mutually beneficial" relationship with the United States that breaks with the anti-terrorism partnership seen since 2001.

"Unfortunately, until now, our relationship has been unidirectional. America pays Pakistan for leading its war, which really damaged Pakistan, "he said.

Mr. Khan stated that US soldiers must leave Afghanistan as he There is no military solution there, Washington could also move to direct peace talks with the Taliban, and he will find Mr. Khan's government useful for the exit of Afghanistan, says

However, if the Trump administration pursues the policy, announced last year, of a strengthened military presence in Afghanistan, it could consider Mr. Khan as a stubborn spine. 19659004] Washington considers Islamabad's aid essential to stabilize Afghanistan, and US military supply lines also pass through Pakistan .In addition, it is a relentless opponent to the strikes of American drones in Pakistan

. Cain looks forward to the opportunity to work with the new Pakistani government "to advance our goals of security, stability and prosperity in South Asia". 19659004] MM Khan also stated that Pakistan was "ready for talks" with India, Pakistan's long-time main opponent in a nuclear-armed confrontation

"they are taking a step towards us, take two steps towards them, "he said. In addition to the central government, the party also seemed to be moving towards control of two of Pakistan's four provinces, one of them including the powerful province of origin of Khan's main rival, the former prime minister.

Nawaz Sharif.

The two established political parties – Mr. Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League and the Pakistan People's Party – and a number of smaller parties claimed that the counts were held in secret, with their representatives blocked – in some cases by soldiers stationed in polling stations.

The commission stated that the ballot was "100% fair and transparent" and that problems with its computer system delayed the results. Mr. Khan said that he would cooperate with any investigation, but called it the purest election of Pakistan.

Khan's address especially to younger and more educated voters, in a country where 64% of the population is under 29 years old.

He promised to rebuild the collapse of health, education and other public services in Pakistan to end corruption. people to pay their taxes. These are deeply rooted problems that have prevented the country from achieving the economic development seen elsewhere in Asia in recent decades.

Khan is also facing a serious economic situation. Pakistan's foreign exchange reserves are at an anemic level and the debt is swelling. Many experts believe that it will curb the economy to stop absorbing so much imports, which could jeopardize its promise to create 10 million jobs.

Now 65 years old, Mr. Khan entered politics 22 years ago, after a glamor. cricket career that took Pakistan to a World Cup victory in 1992. For most of that period, his hero status was not translated into votes for his party

After doing good figure in 2013 but far from victory, Khan's party decided that his white-collar base support was just not big enough to get him to power. In this election, he turned to traditional politicians, called elected officials, who brandish patronage to cultivate support. This allowed the party to reach out to new voters, even though this led politicians little known for their zeal for change.

Critics say that elections could be obstacles to political revision – for example, Mr. Khan's desire to take control of the police and funds for development projects out of the hands of lawmakers.

"Voters are albatrosses around Imran Khan's neck," said

Samson Sharaf,

a retired brigadier who was once the spokesman of the party's defense. "They are too sharp for him.This is a simple and upright man, and they've already led him in the wrong direction."

He will also have to face widespread allegations that powerful military have backed it in the weeks leading up to the vote, in an effort to derail the re-election of Sharif's party, which clashed with the army during his tenure and was jailed for corruption this month [19659010]. Khan's party has repeatedly denied having received help from the army, and the army, which has ruled the country for nearly half of its history, has repeatedly denied that She provided some.

million. Khan's assistants say his program will not be blocked.

"Imran Khan is very clear about what he wants to do, and if your framework is clear, you can make decisions," said

Shafqat Mahmood,

a prominent member of Mr. Khan's Tehreek-e-Insaf party, who was re-elected from the city of Lahore in the east of the country. "Imran will not be blackmailed." After a playboy lifestyle as a cricketer and then retired from sport in the early 1990s, Mr. Khan went on a spiritual journey, becoming more religious and believing that He has to do something good for his country.He raised charitable funds to build a hospital for cancer.Friends say that he remains a moderate Muslim, although more conservative traits seem obvious in his choice for his third wedding, this year, to his spiritual advisor, who covers himself with an enveloping burqa. […] the public has never seen his face

.This professed religiosity – who plays well with the voters of a conservative country – was questioned by a book published just before this election by his second wife,

Reham Khan,

whom he divorced in 2015. It contained sinister stories about Mr. Khan's promiscuity and drug use. However, the book, which his party claims to contain lies and false allegations, did not have a great impact on the election campaign.

"It's an incredible lesson in tenacity, belief and refusal to accept defeat" British heiress

Jemima Goldsmith,

who witnessed Khan's early political failures, said in a tweet on Thursday. "The challenge now is to remember why he entered politics in the first place."

Write to Saeed Shah at [email protected] and Bill Spindle at [email protected] [19659032] [ad_2]
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