Not anti-US, anti-India. I am against their policies: Imran

ISLAMABAD: Amid growing perception that he is batting for the Pakistani Taliban, cricketer-turned- politician Imran Khan has said he is neither anti-US nor anti-India but was against "their policies".

He argued that US is "hypocritical" - while Washington is going ahead with holding talks with the Afghan Taliban, it is stopping Pakistan from doing the same with the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan ( TTP).

"I am not anti-US, anti-India. I am against their policies," Imran said in an interview to Express Tribune.

The Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) chief, however, did not elaborate the Indian policies he was against.

Imran has been criticised by analysts and many on social media for numerous statements, including asking the government to allow the banned TTP to open an office in the country.

He said guiding the nation towards the right direction in difficult times like these is very important.

Imran criticised the US for its double standards arguing the Americans have a different set of rules for their own people.

The Americans set the discourse in the Pakistani media, he alleged, adding that he has been told by the Americans themselves that they are pouring a lot of money into the country's media.

"The media is not even raising the right questions," he lamented.

When the US starts saying, "do more", the Pakistani media jumps on to the same bandwagon and starts saying the same thing, he said.

"If you bow in front of Americans they disparage you. No one will respect you if you have no respect for yourself," Khan said, adding, "No nation can progress without self-respect and honour."

The Americans would not dare send drones if his party was at the Centre, Khan said.

"Why would they stop their drone attacks when our government tells them that they can keep attacking with drones and we will keep protesting?" he asked rhetorically.

"We can have peace the day we have the tribal people on our side. History tells us that there has only been peace when the locals were made allies," he said.

Imran has been for talks with the Taliban to work out a peace solution to end the deadly cycle of violence in the country.

He had criticised the US for the drone strike that killed TTP chief Hakimullah Mehsud earlier this month.