The head of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Awami National Party (ANP), Aimal Wali Khan, has said that, if needed, his party can play its role in procuring the Russian products. He said that during his recent visit to Russia, he spoke in detail to Russian authorities about importing oil, gas, wheat and fertiliser. He said that if Russian oil can provide relief to the people, his party was prepared to use its influence. He said that aside from the sanctity and compulsion of the international pacts, our first priority at present should be to keep the interest of our own people in mind. If the federal government feels that Russia is reluctant in talking trade, ANP was prepared to help. Aimal Wali Khan was of the view that Pakistan could wriggle out of the present mess only by improving its relations with the international community including the neighbouring countries.
As far as Russian crude oil is concerned, its ingredients are entirely different from American oil. Back in 1956, when India was in the Russian camp, Moscow set up a refinery in India to process the crude. In Pakistan, there is no such refinery to clean the Russian crude. Therefore, even if Islamabad succeeds in striking a bargain, items like wheat, gas and fertiliser are alright, but oil may not be of any use in crude form. At present, the prices of wheat flour, oil, gas and other essential items are beyond the common man.
Aimal Wali Khan appealed to the PTI chief Imran Khan to have some pity on the people and stop fooling around with them. It was Imran Khan who laid the landmines by signing weird pacts with the IMF. Aimal said that in order to put the derailed economy back on track, the federal government should have prepared Plan A, Plan B and Plan C, because only by dropping of the petrol bomb on the people would not help in fine-tuning the economy. Aimal said that ANP had opposed the PTI government because it was pushing the country into the quagmire of poverty. Now if the present government also fails in running the country, the people will be free to take their decisions.