‘Powerful’ country angry with Pakistan over Russia, but supporting India: PM

Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that a "powerful" country is angry with Pakistan for its prime minister visiting Russia, but at the same time, it was supporting India which is importing oil from Moscow.

Addressing the Islamabad Security Dialogue, the PM said that he had read a statement of the British Foreign Secretary that mentioned that they cannot say anything to India as it is an independent state.

"I do not blame them for this support, this is our mistake," the PM said.

He continued that "our old friends" were upset over his visit to Russia during the Ukrainian conflict. The premier further said that the European Union Council president, as well as the Ukrainian president, had both called him, asking for Pakistan's role in minimising the conflict with China as Islamabad is "neutral".

Letter: NSC strongly reacts to ‘interference’

About the threatening document received by his government, the PM said nobody should interfere in the internal matters of other countries in such a manner.

"It is because of our weaknesses and flawed policies of the past that such a thing has happened," he added.

Terming an independent foreign policy crucial for the country, he said the reason why Pakistan could not touch its potential was its "dependency syndrome" on other powerful nations.

The PM further said a nation could not progress until it kept thinking that it could not survive without foreign aid.

“These decisions, that incurred major damage to Pakistan, were made for the sake of dollars,” he said.