US Elections 2020: PM Imran Khan finds similarities with Trump’s unorthodox rise to power

ISLAMABAD: With a hint of admiration, Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday shared how he and US President Donald Trump have had to do "a lot of out-of-the-box thinking" in their respective political careers to reach the top.

In a wide-ranging interview with Der Spiegel’s Susanne Koelbl in Islamabad, the prime minister also shared his opinion on the US presidential candidates and whom he would prefer working with.

On the upcoming US election and prospects of winning, PM Imran said though Joe Biden was in front in the opinion polls, but Donald Trump was very unpredictable because unlike normal politicians, “he plays by his own rules”.

Read more: Region could flare up any time, PM Imran Khan warns US

To this, the German journalist said: “It sounds like you admire that.”

The prime minister then recalled his long political struggle in the country and how he treaded his way to the office of the Prime Minister of Pakistan.

PM Imran said being a politician in Pakistan who formed his own party the biggest in over 22 years, he also had to do a lot of out-of-the-box-thinking including relying on social media and then attracting the youth to rallies.

“We had to be very unorthodox, and in some ways, Donald Trump does too.”

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Asked with whom he would prefer to work with, Imran Khan said, “What we really want from the US is an even-handed treatment with respect to India, especially with the dispute in Kashmir.”

He warned that the region is a hotspot and could flare up at any time.

“The US thinks India will contain China, which is a completely flawed premise. India is a threat to its neighbors, to China, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and to us. It has the most extremist, racist government on the subcontinent. It is a fascist state, inspired by the Nazis in the 1920s and '30s.”