America Can't Ignore Afghanistan

Exclusive: Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan says the Taliban can be a partner for peace, not a terrorist threat - if the U.S. stays engaged.

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In a candid and wide-ranging interview, Newsweek Senior Foreign Policy Writer Tom O’Connor spoke with Prime Minister Imran Khan of Pakistan, a nation that straddles Afghanistan and China both geographically and strategically. Khan discussed his goals and fears for his country and the region, and explained why he believes America must remain engaged with Afghanistan.

Khan rose to fame as a cricket star who led Pakistan’s national team to its first World Cup victory in 1992. After his sporting career, he began philanthropic work raising funds for medical facilities and research, and established the populist Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (Pakistan Movement for Justice) in 1996. Through this party, he capitalized on popular dissatisfaction over corruption, religious discrimination and economic stagnation over the course of the next two decades to rise to the forefront of national politics, securing positions in parliament and becoming prime minister in 2018.

For Americans, the leading concern in the region is that the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in August could empower militant groups seeking to lash out abroad. Khan says he shares those anxieties. But his greatest worry doesn’t stem from the Taliban, with which Islamabad has fostered close ties. Rather, it’s a slew of other outlawed organizations whose aims are more immediately focused on wreaking havoc in the region.