in north america and around the globe. donald trump's lawyer says the president has the power to pardon himself over allegations of collusion with russia, but won't. italy's interior minister says his country won't be "the refugee camp of europe" and reveals plans for large—scale repatriations. kim jong—un is reported to have replaced three of his top military officials ahead of his summit with president trump. reuters news agency said an unnamed us official has confirmed reports that more moderate leaders have been appointed to lead the north korean military. now on bbc news, hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk. the national

assembly in pakistan has been dissolved ahead of the general election in latejuly. just dissolved ahead of the general election in late july. just as people were looking at him when he was a top international cricket star, much attention has focused on imran khan, abandoning sport for pakistani politics. he established his own party, the movement for justice party, more than 20 years ago. he says he wants to create a new pakistani. in the last elections in 2013, his party came third. so, can he make it to the position of prime minister this time around and is he the right person to steer pakistan given criticisms about his performance? imran khan, welcome to hardtalk.

thank you for having me. what makes you believe you have the expertise and experience to run a country as complex, populous, and diverse as pakistan? the issue with our cost and is the same issue with most of the developing world. —— pakistan. it isa the developing world. —— pakistan. it is a question of governance. is pakistan is a governance failure, the reason we have not achieved our potential is because we have weak institutions, and because of weak state institutions, we can collect

enough revenue to develop human beings. those are the issues, to develop state institutions and raise money to spend on human beings and education and health and clean drinking water, etc. so, i... why are you the right person to bring about the changes everyone would agree pakistan needs? well, mainly because the two other parties which have been taking powers in the past 30 years, taking turns in getting into power, they are friends. and during that time, the state institutions have degenerated. there was a case in the supreme court with the former prime minister, and the court... the supreme justice said all state institutions have collapsed in pakistan. that is what

has happened in the time these two parties have been in power. you are talking about the ppp, the pakistan people's party, led by the buto family, and the ruling family, league n, referring to my cherif, the former prime minister. they may have been discredited, but in order for you to do better than these two parties in the election, a march gallup poll puts you at 22% in the ruling party at 36%. you have a huge mountain to climb to do better. these surveys are quite misleading. look at the election which david cameron contested in england. they we re cameron contested in england. they were supposed to be level with the labour party and it was a landslide victory. this is what might have

been, the survey, at the time. but when election time comes and parties come up with manifestoes, and when the electorate has to make up its mind, that is really when the swing ta kes mind, that is really when the swing takes place. and we believe that this is the time my party... i feel that this is the time we will win in a landslide. you say you can dismiss polls, but for example, take the state of punjab, the biggest impact is done, you cannot win a national election if you do not carry the 100 million people of punjab, half the population of pakistan. it is run by pln, and in february, you lost badly ina pln, and in february, you lost badly in a by—election against them. only in february. it does not bode well for you, in february. it does not bode well foryou, imran khan. in february. it does not bode well for you, imran khan. in by-elections

in pakistan, if you look at our history, always the party in power wins the by—elections. when the pln was in the opposition between 2002 and 2007, they lost all of the by—elections but lost the general election. —— but won the general. the same happened between 2008 and 2010. it is not a good indicator. the rising popularity of a party as you get close to the elections, which party is on the ascendance. if you look a year ago, pti was much further down and is now going up. if you took a poll now it is probably level would be plmn. you took a poll now it is probably levelwould be plmn. you have positioned yourself as an outsider

againstan positioned yourself as an outsider against an unjust system, wanting to create a new pakistani. what is new and different about your policies? they sound similar to the things other parties are saying, food shelter and clothing is the slogan for the ppp. you say something similar. what is different about you? well, the policies of the two main parties have enriched the rich and impoverished the poor. the gap between the rich and the poor in the last 30 years has increased. at the moment we have a tiny island of rich people and we have a sea of four people. the difference is getting bigger because of the policies. —— poon bigger because of the policies. —— poor. how will we be different? we are the only party that can build state institutions to be for instance, the police as the most difficult to build. —— institutions. the province we have been in power

infor the province we have been in power in forfive years, the province we have been in power in for five years, every service... we have the best police. the reason is that we have isolated it from political pressure and brought in merit. as a result, the police, the professionalism of the police, it has gone up. and the police most hit by the taliban in 2013, with almost 1000 police killed by the taliban. it was devastated. today it is the best. crime and terrorism has come down. i am saying parties that destroy institutions, history tells us destroy institutions, history tells us they can never rebuild them. you bring up your influence in kp, which party the pti has held in the last five years. let me tell you what an opposition member in the national assembly said about this. he said

you had a chance to implement your agenda during the rule in kp but missed a big chance. he talks about creating 10 millionjobs in the province, but he has not even been able to create 5000 during his tenure. is that a fair point? one indication. kp is one province out of all of the four provinces of watcher stein. they never really re—elect a party. —— pakistan. they got one chance... you are talking about your agenda. you had a chance to demonstrate that you could deliver and you have not. that is the point. this is what i am coming to. now, they had a chance in 2008 and get wiped out in 2013. today,

pti , and get wiped out in 2013. today, pti, all surveys in kp, don't listen to him, he has to say those things... how many jobs have be created? and things... how many jobs have be created ? and have things... how many jobs have be created? and have you built a new university in kp? a new hospital in kp? first of all, if you look at all surveys today, pti has doubled its vote bank. clearly, what the pti manifestoes. .. it must vote bank. clearly, what the pti manifestoes... it must have fulfilled its promises otherwise people would not vote for pti. that is number one, rather than what the opposition are saying. human development, education, kp is ahead of all provinces, health, a recent survey, kp is ahead of all provinces. it has the best local governments as them. law and order, police, it is number one. the environment. the first time in the

history of pakistan that a province has done so much for the environment, planting 1 million trees in five years. have you built a new university, a new hospital, in kp? did you deliver thejobs you said you would deliver? poverty in kp has been halved. you must understand, kp was the province most hard—hit by the war on terror. understand, kp was the province most hard-hit by the war on terror. ok. 70% of industry was closed. these are indications so people know what we we re are indications so people know what we were up are indications so people know what we were up against. in 2013, in all three provinces, the bigger provinces, the total number of major terror attacks were 99 all put together. in just terror attacks were 99 all put together. injust kp, there were 200! kp was devastated. 70% of our industry was closed. people were

sheltering in islamabad. sorry to interrupt. you talk about the security, i am talking about social policy. you have talked about poverty and inequality. i have to put it to you that you yourself may say things on the campaign trail like this, a civilised society is not known by how many houses are constructive but how people in the slums with. yet you live in a beautiful villa worth several million us dollars. that does not gel with your message. look, whatever house i live in, if it is my legitimate earnings, my tax paying earnings, if i live the way i like, that is my business, it doesn't mean that i cannot have compassion for the people. remember,

ido compassion for the people. remember, i do the greatest amount of charity work in pakistanhistory. i built one cancer hospital, i built a second one. remember, 75% of the patients it come to the hospital are treated... do you not find it embarrassing? what about... we know about... a university... do you not find it embarrassing you live in a multi—million dollar dealer but you preach about people living in slums? -- villa. this house was built by me selling my london flat which i earned in my cricket days. i sold that. it is no more expensive than the flat i had in kensington. i sold it. this was proven in the supreme court. i do not know if you know i was in the supreme courtjustifying where i got the money for this house because the prime minister was being

investigated. we will move on from your personal accommodation and the m essa 9 es your personal accommodation and the messages it sends. you were talking about security... old on a minute. look, i mean... let me repeat. the amounti look, i mean... let me repeat. the amount i bought this place for was that... you made that unclear. ok. talking about security and the armed forces, one criticism you often hear about you, one person for example, the daughter of the former prime minister, says you are a stooge and pawn of the pakistani army. are you? that is rich coming from her. her father was literally manufactured by the military dictatorship. what do you say about the criticism? he was removed from power in 1999 and you

welcomed his ouster, having waged a long campaign against him, and even said you would welcome an offer to join the government. this is not true, i could have joined his government in 2001. i was the only part of party who had the offer who did not help him. i was the only political leader put in jail by the general. ok, so you are putting the record straight on that, but again, perhaps you could be a bit more critical of the armed forces. that is another thing that is said about you, and speak more about it accesses. there is concern from human rights organisations like amnesty international, in 2017—18, it says reports continue that security forces were involved in human rights violations including torture and other ill treatment, arbitrary detention, extra judicial

executions and other ill treatment. shouldn't you be highlighting these kinds of very serious concerns rather than just saying we built up the security forces in kp, and so on and so forth? sure. but let me clear this up. miriam nawaz says i am backed by the military. herfather was chosen by the prime minister. i have struggled for 22 years, and if you... if anyone tells you about on 29 april, we had the biggest rally in pakistan's history. 500,000 people turned up. when you have people turned up. when you have people with you, you don't need any crutches. someone like no other shariff, he was picked up by the army. —— nawaz sharif. secondly, talking about the army, look, the

army depends on the army chief. so general‘s army is different. so i criticised the general‘s army because i was against pakistan sending its troops into the tribal areas. all right, but you get on with general bajwar, the other guy my current chief of the armed forces. you have made it clear where you stand. but i need to tell you why general bajwar. that is fine, you have made it clear, i have not brought any criticisms about general bajwar, just wanted to speak about some of the rotten apples in the armed forces and the actions that they carry, according to human rights organisations. another thing thatis rights organisations. another thing that is said about you... can i clear this —— clear this thing?

that is said about you... can i clear this -- clear this thing? very quickly. look, i oppose the army being sent to the tribal areas. why? because whenever you send the army into civilian areas, there will a lwa ys into civilian areas, there will always be human rights violations. how can they not be? the army is not fighting another army. there are villages there, human beings living there. so i oppose the war. what general bajwa... the reason i think he is the first army chief, he has categorically stated that he stands with pakistan's democracy. he stands with pakistan's democracy. he stands with pakistan's democracy. he stands with pakistan's constitution. and he is trying to clear up the mess created by general musharraf when he said the army in the tribal areas. all right, thank you for clarifying that. i want to put you another said about you, the current leader of the 0pposition ppp party says you are the estranged brother of the taliban. do you admire the taliban in any shape orform? taliban. do you admire the taliban in any shape or form? the

taliban. do you admire the taliban in any shape orform? the pakistani taliban? because... look, he can be excused. he doesn't know what is happening in pakistan. he'd hasjust been parachuted into pakistan's politics. he doesn't know what is happening on the ground. i opposed the army going into the tribal areas. i did not agree with that. and because of that i was called protel abound. so it was a george bush thing, either you are with us 01’ bush thing, either you are with us or you bush thing, either you are with us 01’ you are bush thing, either you are with us or you are against us. so if you are anti— the waron or you are against us. so if you are anti— the war on terror, that means you are pro— terrorist. so this is as naive and silly as that. all right, but where do you stand on the taliban, imran khan? injune 2002 you address the workers convention in pakistan and said you are very much inspired by the taliban's system of justice, and much inspired by the taliban's system ofjustice, and that i will establish the same system in the country establish the same system in the cou ntry after establish the same system in the country after assuming power. let me explain to you what the taliban system was, just as was. it was what is in the passion and tribal areas, what the system of justice is in the passion and tribal areas, what the system ofjustice is. and what the system ofjustice is. and

what is it? they have a jury —— pashtun. every village has a jury. they listen to the cases. people get free justice. all people they listen to the cases. people get freejustice. all people have they listen to the cases. people get free justice. all people have access to justice there. for instance, forget the taliban. in tribal areas of pakistan, they have been the most peaceful areas until this war on terror. the reason being people have access to justice. every village has access to justice. every village has a jury, it sits down, it listens to two people, and it dispenses justice. and there were crime free areas. have you changed your mind now, imran khan? you said that in 2002. because this is the pakistan taliban. the same one who in 2014 carried out the attack in the school on peshawar. 145 people killed, nearly all of them children. we know malala, also attempted murder by the pakistan taliban. this is a group that asked you if you could represent them in talks. he declined and said find your own

representatives. but i put it to you, it sounds as though they like you. for one, in 2002, there were no pakistani taliban. so when i talked about it, it was one taliban, and one thing they did was it brought to a war—torn, destroyed afghanistan, by the warlords, if you... if you read a book living with the taliban and, it will tell you they brought justice by ringing in what was the pashtun system of justice, justice by ringing in what was the pashtun system ofjustice, which was ajury pashtun system ofjustice, which was a jury system. it brought peace. there was no pakistani taliban in 2002. the pakistani taliban came about in 2006. so let's get the record straight. and i willjust com plete record straight. and i willjust complete this. in kp today, in district police stations, we have that justice. we have district police stations, we have thatjustice. we have a jury, and people have free access to justice. in the district, it is very popular.

it was poor people cannot afford lawyers, and... sorry? do you talk to the taliban, the pakistani taliban now? do you think you should do business with them? the situation has changed completely, after the was a standard operation, the taliban have been pushed into afghanistan —— waziristan. so there are hardly any militant taliban left in afghanistan. actually, we have more dangerfrom in afghanistan. actually, we have more danger from isis. in afghanistan. actually, we have more dangerfrom isis. because isis is on the borders of pakistan's tribal areas in afghanistan, so now there is more danger in the future from isis. all right. talking about the terror threat, i just wanted from isis. all right. talking about the terror threat, ijust wanted to touch on america, because there has been some concern about some of the anti—american sentiment coming from anti—american sentiment coming from a party. i give you just one example, a chant was led recently in lahore claiming that everyone has a friend to the us as a traitor. this

isa friend to the us as a traitor. this is a country that has given pakistan about $67 billion, admittedly most of it in military aid, and yet it has been a very generous donor. so what is your position. just set the record straight. are anti—american? well, first of all, she has her view of dahmer views. they are always within a political party, there are views ranging from one side to another. so every party has that. but let me make it clear. hackers found has to be friends with america. the united states as a superpower —— pakistan. but where most of us felt deeply hurt is when donald trump blamed pakistan for the failure of the united states in afghanistan. we felt that here was a country being made a scapegoat, a country being made a scapegoat, a country that had 70,000 people killed fighting the us war. we had over $100 billion lost to the economy because the general took us into a economy because the general took us intoa war economy because the general took us into a war which was not our war. i opposed it. and at the end, the

humiliation. i mean, to be made a scapegoat for their failure in afghanistan, which was one of the... are you anti—american now?“ afghanistan, which was one of the... are you anti-american now? if i criticise policies of the pakistani government, and my anti— pakistan? i mean, how naive is it that, if you criticise a policy of the us, you are dubbed as anti—american? it is again, that george bush, either with us or again, that george bush, either with us or against us. and finally, and briefly, imran khan, i put it to you that your personal life over the yea rs has that your personal life over the years has attracted a lot of attention. you know, your three marriages, you have just attention. you know, your three marriages, you havejust had attention. you know, your three marriages, you have just had your third marriage, you are married to a british heiress, a short lived marriage, to a very glamorous tv presenter. you feel that that slightly paints your image as a pious muslim amongst your followers? look, our private lives, you know, there are a lot of influences on our

lives, a lot of things happening in our personal lives, which result in, as has been the situation with me, this is my third marriage. i do not think that has anything to do with the public. imran khan, in islamabad, thank you very much indeed for coming on hardtalk. hello. quieter weather on the way during at least the first half of this week. mainly dry, but that doesn't mean wall—to—wall sunshine. i hope you made the most of what many of us saw on sunday, as temperatures rose into the mid to upper 20s in some spots. the day ahead brings much more cloud. here's why — low pressure to the south of us not so much

of a player in our weather during the first half of the week. it's high pressure to the north. the flow of air around that, gentle north and north—easterly coming in. but that, overnight and into monday morning, will have scooped up a lot of cloud from the north sea, some patchy mist and fog too. so it's going to be a rather grey, murky start for many of us. temperatures around 10—14 degrees. where the thickest cloud is, there could be some drizzle around too. just the western scotland, northern ireland, wales and south england seeing some early sunny spells, and on and off during the day. but where you start with the thickest cloud, many central and eastern areas, that will hold strong during the day, although any mist and fog should clear and any drizzle should fade out. we'll keep some sunny spells western scotland and northern ireland, but by the afternoon there is a chance of catching a thundery downpour. could be torrential, though most of us won't, and sunny spells too for wales and south—west england. the odd heavy shower into the afternoon. parts of south—east england starting to brighten up. a bit of warmth where you get the sun still, but much cooler where you're underneath the cloud.

now, as we go on through monday night and into tuesday morning, the cloud holds strong for many of us. just limited clear spells, and temperatures are going to be a little bit lower than they've been on recent nights. and that's a trend for our weather in the week ahead. temperatures are going to be lower, though it's not cold by any stretch of the imagination. but some spots, as you can see, dipping down into single figures. so again a rather cloudy, misty, murky start to the day on tuesday. the big picture is pretty much the same, although this weather front is just approaching closer to the south. channel islands may get some showers out of that. most of us, though, are going to stay dry. but after that cloudy start, hints of something sunnier coming through. perhaps not so much across the southerm half of england into south wales, but elsewhere, you can see the land, and that means clearer skies. most are staying dry. and those temperatures — well, it'll feel a bit warmer where you get to see some sunshine. those temperatures will go up a little bit as we get deeper into the week, in some sunny spells.

not as warm or as hot as it has been recently, but still for many above normal for the time of year, with light winds, with plenty of dry weather around. later in the week, though, there will be a few showers. maybe the odd thunderstorm developing in parts of england and wales, into northern ireland. scotland staying mainly dry. and, although there will be some thundery downpours, they don't look as intense as they've been, but that's something we'll keep an eye on. that's your weather. this is the briefing. i'm sally bundock. our top story: italy's new government says the country won't be "the refugee camp of europe" and reveals plans for large—scale repatriations. donald trump's lawyer says the president has the power to pardon himself over allegations of collusion with russia but won't. the uk's set to overhaul its counter—terrorism strategy and how intelligence on 20,000 suspects is shared. china warns the us sanctions will void trade talks,

while members of the g7 say a trade war with the us could be just days away. is president trump about to have a change of heart? also in business briefing, a record fine for australia's biggest bank for settling claims that it breached laws against money