After Claiming Victory In Pak, What Imran Khan Said About Kashmir

With results for 225 of the 272 seats in Pakistan's national assembly announced, cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan's party Tehreek-e-Insaf or PTI has emerged as the single-largest party. In a presidential style address on Thursday night after claiming victory in the bitterly fought elections marred by allegations of rigging, Mr Khan indicated he would offer an olive branch to India and the two neighbours should resolve the Kashmir issue.

"God has given me a chance to come to power to implement that ideology which I started 22 years ago," Mr Khan, 65, said in a televised speech from his house near the capital Islamabad. "I really want to fix our ties, you take one step forward, we will take two," he said.

The former captain of the Pakistani cricket team said he was a "little disappointed" the way Indian media has portrayed him "like a Bollywood villain... as though all will be bad if I come to power". "I have widely travelled in India because of cricket and I want good relations with India," he said in the half-hour address.

Elaborating on his foreign policy and his views of relations with India towards the end of his address, Mr Khan said the two countries also need to have a dialogue on Kashmir.

"The biggest dispute between us is about Kashmir. We need to talk about Kashmir... We're still on Square 1. India sees Baluchistan, we see Kashmir... this blame game has to stop. We are ready to take two steps forward if you take one," he said.

Pakistan election results: Nawaz Sharif's party and others have accused the military of rigging the elections (Reuters)

Supporters of jailed former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who accuse Mr Khan of colluding with the still powerful Pakistani Army, said the vote count was rigged in what it termed an assault on democracy in a country with a history of military rule.

There have been concerns in India about the outcome of the elections in Pakistan. A nationalist party at the helm will affect the security of the people in Jammu and Kashmir as well as the rest of India in view of Pakistan's tacit support to terror.

Mr Khan's success in the elections is a stunning rise for someone who has spent much of his political career on the fringes of Pakistan politics. In his speech peppered with populist pledges, Mr Khan promised to create jobs for the poor and said he would turn the palatial prime minister's official residence in the capital into an education facility, instead of living in it.

Mr Khan has staunchly denied allegations by Nawaz Sharif's PML-N that he is getting help from the military, which has ruled Pakistan for about half of its history and still sets key security and foreign policy. The Pakistani Army has dismissed allegations of meddling.

With inputs from Reuters