Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan on Sunday said that he prays that United States President Donald Trump would impose visa restrictions on Pakistan. Khan's statement came soon after the White House declared that Pakistan could also be included in its sweeping immigrant ban list.
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Khan said that he believes that if a visa ban is imposed by the US on Pakistan, then Pakistanis would focus on their own country and it would help develop their nation instead.
"It is being heard that Pakistanis may face US visa restriction. I pray that Trump also stops visas for Pakistanis as I believe that it will help us develop our own country. Besides, we will also give him (Trump) Iran-like response...(not allowing Americans here in Pakistan)," Imran said, while addressing a party rally in Sahiwal, some 250km from Lahore.
Trump's executive actions on extreme vetting and visa ban applies to migrants, refugees and US legal residents — green-card holders — from Iraq, Iran, Sudan, Somalia, Syria, Libya and Yemen. There is an indefinite ban on the arrival of Syrian refugees. A White House official on Sunday indicated that there is a possibility that Pakistan could be included in the list of countries from where immigration will be restricted.
Khan also took a dig at Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, stating that the PM goes abroad for treatment of his ailments, but if there is a visa restriction imposed by the US, then he will have to focus on Pakistan and develop the nation.
The politician also talked about the Indo-Pak relationship stating that not everyone in his country wants a war with its neighbouring country India, "I want to remind (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi that every Pakistani is not coward like Nawaz Sharif. We are peaceful nation and even in India majority does not want war with Pakistan."
Khan, during his speech at the rally, also criticised Sharif's corruption scandal and his involvement in the Panama papers case and said that he is using his children to cover up his own corruption.
"I feel sympathy for Maryam Nawaz because her father (Nawaz Sharif) has brought her forward to hide his own corruption in Panama case," he said and vowed to fight against Sharif family's corruption till his last breath.
Donald Trump's executive orders of refugee ban has invoked rebuke from countries across the world, where thousands of protesters have deemed Trump's decree as hateful and as particularly targeting refugees from Muslim faith.
