Pakistan should talk to the Taliban: Imran Khan

LONDON: Cricketer turned politician Imran Khan called today for the army to withdraw from Pakistan's

tribal areas and for talks with the Taliban, warning that the country faced "catastrophe" otherwise. Khan said the US-Pakistan military offensive in the areas bordering Afghanistan was turning locals massively against the United States and boosting support for the militants. US drone strikes on militants were sparking "anger and hatred" in the area, said Khan, who leads the marginal Tehrik-e-Insaf (Movement for Justice). "The solution is to hold a dialogue with the militants," he told an audience at the Chatham House foreign policy thinktank in London. "The solution is to win them onto our side, not to bomb them with airstrikes." Otherwise, he warned: "If we continue with this military operation we are facing a catastrophe." The militants operating in the tribal areas did not share the beliefs of the Afghan Taliban, who wanted to create an Islamist state, he said. "In my opinion, they are political Taliban, they are not religious Taliban. "They will fade away as soon as the Pakistan army moves back and dialogue is held," he added.