PM seeks advice — from a Liberal

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Calgary MP Jason Kenney, the PM's parliamentary secretary, said Khan, born in Pakistan and a former fighter pilot in the Pakistani Air Force, approached him in June wanting to help the Tory government communicate the objectives of the Canadian Forces mission in Afghanistan.

Talks continued throughout the summer and culminated last week in a 40-minute meeting with Harper, Khan and Kenney in the Prime Minister's Office on Parliament Hill.

Kenney called it a gesture "to reach out past partisan concerns" and choose someone who can "ensure Canadians understand the mission."

In announcing his special adviser, Harper said Khan "will be sharing his insights on future developments" with the government, after a fact-finding mission expected to begin shortly. He described Khan as "a prominent voice in the Toronto Pakistani and Muslim communities."

Although Khan voted against extending the Canadian Forces mission to 2009 earlier this year in the Commons, Khan said in the communiqué, "I support the mission in Afghanistan."

But Harper may have gotten more than he bargained for with Khan's appointment.

In an interview with the Star last night, Khan laid out a much more ambitious agenda for his mission, saying he hopes Canada can help broker peace between India and Pakistan and better communications with Iran. He hopes to visit Israel, Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, Iran, Pakistan and India, as well as Afghanistan.

Iran and Syria have been criticized for arming and training Hezbollah guerrillas who are firing rockets on northern Israel, in the bloody Mideast conflict which began in mid-July.

"Iran is a nation with some ambitions, and rightly so, like other nations," said Khan. "Iran has emerged as a significant player in the Middle East and I believe they're an important country to communicate with. But we didn't have the best relations with them."

"My father spoke fluent Farsi," he added. "I understand what Iran is all about."

Khan added that "it's about time the West recognized the new reality of the importance of new players and who you must communicate with."

He hopes to visit both Israel and the Palestinian territories, explaining that "my intent is not to blame one or the other."

"Just as Israel has the right to exist, so do the Palestinians — Jews, Arabs, Palestinians, Muslims — their destinies are intertwined," he said.

It would be positive "if Canada could play a significant role in getting the peace talks between India and Pakistan on track. Just getting the two countries back around the table would be good — and that involves Afghanistan."

Reminded he voted against the extension of the Afghan mission, Khan said "at that particular moment it was too rushed ... but you can't have an exit strategy based on how many soldiers have died."

He is due to report to Harper in October and expects to finalize an itinerary shortly, in conjunction with Canadian diplomats.

Asked if his schedule will cut into his role as Ontario chair for Liberal leadership candidate Joe Volpe (Eglinton-Lawrence), Khan answered: "That's a good question."

He said he trained 35 volunteers who are working on the campaign, adding, "I don't need to supervise them."

Corey Hobbs, spokesperson for the troubled Volpe campaign, insisted last night Khan remains Ontario chair "and will continue to play a major role" in Volpe's leadership bid.

Khan also brushed off a question about his future as a Liberal MP, explaining that his mission is a "supra partisan issue."

From Graham's office, Breton said Khan pushed hard for the new post and "Bill had a hard time saying no to that pitch."

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