Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan in an interview to the New York Times said he knows India better than all other Pakistanis and has enjoyed “love and respect” from the country because of the two nations’ shared love for cricket. “You know, probably out of all the Pakistanis, I know India better than all of them. I have had love and respect from India [more] than any one because cricket is a big sport. It’s almost religion in both the countries,” the legendary former cricketer said.
He expressed disappointment on being unable to normalise trade ties with India despite reaching out after assuming office, adding that a “civilised trading relationship” would be beneficial for both countries.
“So when I assumed office, the first thing I did was I made this approach to Prime Minister Modi and said that, ‘Look, my main objective for coming to power is to alleviate poverty in Pakistan.’ And the best way would be if India and Pakistan had a normal, civilised trading relationship. It would benefit both the countries,” Khan said.
“I think that it is a peculiar ideology of the RSS, which Narendra Modi belongs to, which just came up against a brick wall. And, therefore, the answer to your question is yes. Had there been another Indian leadership, I think we would have had a good relationship with them. And yes, we would have resolved all our differences through dialogue,” he added.
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