Imran Khan lauds India on fuel price cut; seeks 'independent foreign policy' in Pakistan

The Centre's decision to cut excise duty on petrol and diesel by Rs.8 per litre and Rs.6 per litre respectively found an unlikely admirer in ousted Pakistan PM Imran Khan. Taking to Twitter on Saturday, Imran Khan lauded India for sustaining pressure from the US despite being a part of the Quad and purchasing discounted oil from Russia. According to him, his government was seeking to follow a similar independent foreign policy to provide relief to the masses just like India. 

In February, the PTI chairman faced a lot of flak for his visit to Moscow on a day when Russia commenced the invasion of Ukraine. On this occasion, he reiterated the allegation that his government was toppled via a no-confidence motion as a result of a regime change. Moreover, Khan came down heavily on the Shehbaz Sharif-led government for leaving Pakistan's economy in shambles. 

Imran Khan's admiration for Indian foreign policy

The 1992 World Cup-winning captain first lauded India when he was struggling to defeat the no-confidence motion filed by the then opposition. Addressing a public gathering on March 20, Imran Khan remarked, "My foreign policy should be for the betterment of my people. I laud our neighbour India for always adopting an independent foreign policy. Today, India has an alliance with the US as a part of the Quad. It describes itself as neutral. It is buying oil from Russia when sanctions have been imposed. Because India's policy is for the betterment of its people".

While inaugurating the Islamabad Security Dialogue on April 1, he again hailed the Narendra Modi-led government for pursuing an independent foreign policy.  Contending that Pakistan never had an independent foreign policy at the time of Independence as it faced a lot of problems back then, he reasoned that this led to the country developing a "dependency syndrome". Khan also acknowledged that India, Bangladesh, Vietnam and Cambodia have progressed far ahead of Pakistan owing to their independent foreign policy,

The PTI chief opined, "Some powerful people got upset and asked why did you go to Russia. You are asking a country why did you visit Russia. India which is their ally in the Quad. Not only is India neutral to Russia but is also importing oil from there when there is an attempt to impose sanctions. Today, I was reading a statement by the British Foreign Secretary that we cannot say anything to India as they have an independent foreign policy. It is an independent country."