Imran Khan once again lauds India's foreign policy

Former Pakistan Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan once again lauded India's foreign policy and said that Islamabad "wanted to get cheap Russian crude oil just like India" but was not able to do so as his government collapsed in a no-confidence motion. Addressing the nation in a video message, he said, Imran mentioned his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the clip. Notably, he was the first Pakistani PM to visit Moscow in the past 23 years, Khan could not broker any deal that could give relief to the cash-strapped country. Interestingly, this was not the first time when Khan acknowledged India's achievements in terms of growing its economy and purchasing Russian oil despite Western pressure. Imran Khan had repeatedly claimed that his government was ousted for pursuing an "independent foreign policy," which would have allowed the country to buy oil at a discounted price from Russia, just like India.

Pakistan is reeling under the worst-ever economic crisis and Khan lamented over the fact that his country could also purchase Russian crude oil at a discounted rate that India enjoys despite the ongoing Ukraine war. India is the world's third-largest oil-consuming and importing nation. It imports 85 per cent of its crude oil needs. Ever since the war between Russia and Ukraine, the West and Europe imposed stringent sanctions on its energy. This resulted in Russia's offering more discounts to its oldest ally, India.