Pakistan PM reaches Moscow amid invasion: ‘What a time I have come, so much excitement’

[Abdul Rehman Majeed]

Pakistan PM reaches Moscow amid imminent Ukraine invasion

Imran Khan faces potential embarrassment over visit as US reacts harshly

www.independent.co.uk

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Pakistan PM reaches Moscow amid invasion: ‘What a time I have come, so much excitement’​

Imran Khan faces potential embarrassment over visit as US reacts harshly​

Maroosha Muzaffar
Thursday 24 February 2022 14:43

Comments

Putin welcomes Pakistani PM Imran Khan for talks during official Moscow visit

Pakistan’s prime minister Imran Khan defied Washington and many international observers by meeting with Vladimir Putin on the same day the Russian president ordered the invasion of Ukraine.
Russian state media broadcast images of Mr Khan and Mr Putin shaking hands and sitting down together in Moscow, hours after the latter gave a televised address effectively declaring war on Russia’s neighbour to the west.

Mr Khan arrived in Moscow late on Wednesday, going ahead with a planned trip on the eve of war in Europe to the surprise of some analysts.

And he ran into potential embarrassment almost immediately. The prime minister was heard in a video clip telling Russian officials upon arrival that it was a time of “so much excitement”.
“What a time I have come... so much excitement,” Mr Khan can be heard saying in the clip shared on social media.

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By Thursday morning, the Associated Press was reporting that Mr Khan would be cutting the two-day visit short early. But then the meeting with Mr Putin went ahead regardless, and a spokesperson for the Pakistan prime minister rubbished those reports.

The US had reacted angrily to the news of Mr Khan’s visit even before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began, saying that the onus was on every “responsible” country to voice objection to Mr Putin’s actions.
Ned Price, the US state department spokesperson, said on Wednesday: “We believe it’s a responsibility of every responsible country around the world to voice concern, to voice objection, to what Putin appears to have in mind for Ukraine.”
Mr Price also pointed out that the US had “communicated to Pakistan our position regarding Russia’s further renewed invasion of Ukraine and we have briefed them on our efforts to pursue diplomacy over war.”
Mr Khan’s trip was the first by a Pakistani prime minister to Moscow in 20 years, and had been billed as an opportunity to talk about economic cooperation and his country’s energy needs.

Ivano-Frankivsk Airport burns after missile strike as Russia begins invasion
“Islamabad’s best hope for PM Khan’s Russia visit is that there are limited public aspects to the programme, that Khan doesn’t make any gaffes and say the U word in any public remarks, and that Khan and his delegation can get out as quickly and quietly as possible,” tweeted Michael Kugelman, Asia Programme deputy director at Wilson Centre.

Russian president Vladimir Putin had, on Thursday morning, announced the start of what he called a “special military operation” in eastern Ukraine.
Soon after the announcement, several reports started coming in of gunshots and explosions in at least five places in Ukraine and near the Russian border. These include Kiev, Kramatorsk, Odess, Kharkhov, Berdyansk and near the Boryspil airport.
This map shows major cities in Ukraine as well as Moscow-backed separatist regions. As of early this week, rebels held only parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions highlighted
(The Independent)
US president Joe Biden said in a statement that “the prayers of the entire world are with the people of Ukraine tonight as they suffer an unprovoked and unjustified attack by Russian military forces.”
“President Putin has chosen a premeditated war that will bring a catastrophic loss of life and human suffering. Russia alone is responsible for the death and destruction this attack will bring, and the United States and its Allies and partners will respond in a united and decisive way. The world will hold Russia accountable.”

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He also said that he will be “monitoring the situation from the White House this evening and will continue to get regular updates from my national security team”.
Mr Biden is scheduled to meet G7 counterparts in the morning and “then speak to the American people to announce the further consequences the United States and our Allies and partners will impose on Russia for this needless act of aggression against Ukraine and global peace and security”.

 

[hussain0216]

The more everyone gets their panties in a twist the more I smile

 

[Man of steel23]

Just bullshit article qouting some indian disinfo lab troll job... Only indians posting grab like this... Butchered completely out of context no pakistan PM visited Russia for nearly 23 years and he meets Putin he has to say nice words out of courtesy relating to the meeting itself but indian retards will always take things out of context

@The Eagle @waz

 

[hussain0216]

The Indians are pissy because they are beginning to see the writing on the wall and Pakistan will continue to use hindutva poison to spread discord inside india and see if we can instigate Muslims and others against India outside, whilst Pakistan reaches out to China, Russia, and beyond


The opposition in Pakistan are pissy because they hate the fact that Pakistan does anything and their useless parties languish


So you have the coming together of butt hurt Indians and the opposition


That's how you know your doing the right thing, when these enemies feel pain

 

[OldenWisdom...قول بزرگ]

Intentional!
The role out of the invasion seems very deliberate and calculated. By no means the coinciding dates are/were an accident... what will transpire though... will eventually add any notoriety or sobriety to these remarks.

Pakistan remains among the very few states that have been promised stone age by both sides of the curtain and yet somehow remains eminent...
at some very significant and pivotal moments...

 

[FuturePAF]

Pakistan, like most the world did not expect the invasion. The onus for the embarrassment should be on the Russians, for inviting a guest while launching a war on a neighbor. Considering the lengths China went to get a meeting in hopes of achieving some kind of normalization of relations between Russia and Pakistan, Pakistan could not pass up the opportunity when they were already in Russia. The last time we were this close to possibly achieving anything resembling normal relations were in the time of Ayub Khan.

IK has nothing to be regretful about for this visit because he saw the visit as a chance to reconcile relations, and hence his statement of excitement. What can be said to be guilty of, if one wants to put it that way, is thinking from the perspective of the interests of his people, who elected him to make their lives better and serve their interests.

Hopefully his team prepares a balanced and well throughout statement for his consideration, for when the PM speaks to the press about his trip, surely the issue of Ukraine will be raised, and he must be measured in his words in order to convey his intentions to achieve progress where he had the power to do so, and where, as a guest, he may not have had the power to influence his host during his trip to Moscow.

 

[PradoTLC]

The US had reacted angrily to the news of Mr Khan’s visit even before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began, saying that the onus was on every “responsible” country to voice objection to Mr Putin’s actions.

as if Pakistan gives a rats *** to what US has to say....

but keep up the complaints... we know the you are hurting when the enemy complains.

 

[MultaniGuy]

as if Pakistan gives a rats *** to what US has to say....

but keep up the complaints... we know the you are hurting when the enemy complains.

Yes, why should we give a damn for what USA says.

We will do what is in our national interests.

 

[Riz]

Khan was exited because he knows Russia is going to whip the a$$ of NATO and USA

 

[PradoTLC]

Yes, why should we give a damn for what USA says.

ya....

that was point too...

 

[MilSpec]

Khan was exited because he knows Russia is going to wipe the a$$ of NATO and USA

strange boast

 

[Riz]

strange boast

Another US and NATO victory?? Oh i was not aware about this phaariend

 

[MilSpec]

Another US and NATO victory?? Oh i was not aware about this phaariend

Why

Russia is going to wipe the a$$ of NATO and USA

"Whip" would make some sense but wipe, seems more of a nanny thing.

 

[Riz]

Why



"Whip" would make some sense but wipe, seems more of a nanny thing.

Corrected

 

[WebMaster]

Isolate Pakistan, that was the war. It has failed miserably.