Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan said on Saturday that he was first to stand against standing with the US in its war against terrorism.
In a statement issued here, Imran Khan reminded that over a decade earlier, in 2004, he had stood in parliament and stated that Pakistan should stay out of someone else's war - at that time the US war on terror - and not send its forces to Waziristan as it would be going into quicksand to fight the US's war.
But underhand commitments were made and the devastating results on Pakistan and its people can be seen today with over 50,000 dead; over $100 billion loss to the country's economy and a polarized polity battling resurgent terrorism.
This time Khan pointed out, the PTI was in a position, by going back to parliament, to ensure that no secret deals or commitments would be made on behalf of the people of Pakistan and its elected representatives.
Khan said: "Despite my natural instinct of not returning to the assemblies till the report of the Judicial Commission, I made the decision to return so as to give our clear position on a vital national question and the resolution vindicates this decision."
The Yemen crisis and sending of Pakistani troops to fight there was an important national issue and he felt the PTI must play its role and impact national policy. "This the PTI did," said Khan and the party's parliamentarians withstood internal and external criticism and even abuse to return to the assemblies after the ordinance for the Judicial Commission had been promulgated and take a clear position on the issue of Yemen and whether Pakistan should join the Saudi coalition intervening militarily in Yemen's civil war.
The PTI had a clear position that Pakistan should stay out of this conflict and work diplomatically to end the war there through the UNSC and the OIC. Our position was stated with clarity on the floor of the House and is reflected in the unanimous resolution passed by the joint sitting of parliament, Imran said.
The PTI ensured that no underhand deals or commitments went through and the parliamentary consensus, while expressing support for our close ally Saudi Arabia also made a wise decision to maintain neutrality in the Yemen conflict, was a true reflection of the people's consensus in which the PTI played a critical role, he said.
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