Generals smile as captain becomes king

ISLAMABAD: The final results of the Pakistan parliamentary elections haven't been announced yet, but there's no doubt who the man of the match is. Imran Khan, whose party Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has won almost double the seats of the next largest party in the national assembly, gave his victory speech on Thursday. Unlike his speech after winning the World Cup in 1992, which was widely criticised for being largely about himself, this one was a more statesmanlike affair in which he underlined the need for improved ties between Pakistan and India and promised to respond positively to any initiative from India.
"We want to improve our relations with India, if their leadership also wants it," he said, adding, "If they (India) take one step towards us, we will take two, but we at least need a start."
However, he also brought up Kashmir."The biggest problem is Kashmir, every international organisation has said that there are human rights violations taking place in Kashmir," Khan said via video link from his palatial residence on a hilltop in Bani Gala, Islamabad.
Pakistan's PM-elect did not rake up his campaign rhetoric of resolving the Kashmir issue under UN resolutions. But observers said his insistence that India should take the initiative for peace and dialogue to improve ties with Pakistan was in accordance with the line that the Pakistani military has maintained. That shouldn't come as a surprise, since he is believed to have the backing of Pakistan's all-powerful army.