ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Monday that PTI chairman Imran Khan’s rebuttal of the foreign conspiracy narrative was a reminder of the “vicious role he played to harm Pakistan’s external relations while pursuing his own petty politics”.
The premier was referring to Imran’s recent interview with the Financial Times, wherein Khan said he had left the regime change claim was ‘behind’ him now.
Khan, who has repeatedly claimed that an American conspiracy was behind his removal from office in April, said he now wanted a “dignified” relationship if re-elected.
“As far as I’m concerned it’s over, it’s behind me,” he said of the alleged conspiracy. “The Pakistan I want to lead must have good relationships with everyone, especially the United States,” asserted Khan.
In a tweet today, the premier said that the nation was shocked by Imran’s “deceit and treachery inflicting irreparable damage on Pakistan”.
Meanwhile, other government mouthpieces on Monday threatened former premier and PTI chief Imran Khan for consequences over what they called backtracking on his ‘false narrative’ of regime change in Pakistan.
Speaking on a point of order in the National Assembly, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said PTI Chief Imran Khan have to pay the political price for his lies and changing narrative regarding foreign conspiracy behind his ouster from power.
Asif quoting Imran’s interview with Financial Times, said Imran took an other U-turn expressing the desire to mend relations with the United States despite accusing it of treating Paksitan as a ‘slave’.
Imran has buried his narrative of Haqiqi Azadi and imported government. He said Imran’s politics revolves around fake narratives and lies which compromised national interests.
Khawaja Asif said Imran Khan’s political rhetoric in the past and the recent one regarding cipher are based on local political consumption.
Imran’s accusations against the US had embarrassed the entire country. Now he was saying to forget that narrative which already damaged country’s relations abroad. Pakistan Tehreek-Insaf (PTI) should sit home instead of disturbing routine life of the people through its long march.
Imran did not stand over his narrative more than a few weeks. He has compromised the honour and dignity of the country.
He wrongly termed the constitutional process of his ouster from power by tabling a confidence motion as foreign conspiracy. He urged the august House to ponder over it as Imran Khan must not go scot-free. He should have to pay the price of his persistent lies.
Separately, Minister for Information Marriyum Aurangzeb said the former prime minister would have to answer for the purported change in his narrative of the vote of no-confidence against him being a foreign conspiracy.
“The narrative upon which chaos and lies were spread throughout the country. It will not be over without an answer to that,” she declared in a series of tweets.
عمران خان امریکی سازش کا بیانیہ پسِ پشت ڈالنے سے بات ختم نہیں ہو گی ، آپ کو جواب دینا پڑے گا جس بیانیہ پہ پورے ملک میں انتشار اور جھوٹ پھیلایا، جواب دئیے بغیر صرف دستبرداری کافی نہیں آج عمران سے سوال نہیں بلکہ آج عمران کی بات پہ یقین کرنے والوں کے لئے سوالیہ نشان ہے #Liar pic.twitter.com/SAmm85KH9c
— Marriyum Aurangzeb (@Marriyum_A) November 14, 2022
Implying that Khan backed off his claims, the minister said: “Today is a question mark for all those who believed what Imran said. The question is for those who listened to the foreign-funded mischief who kept playing with the interests of the country.”
Aurangzeb further said the former prime minister labeled the parliament, the Pakistan Army and the institutions as traitors, and now wanted to start afresh. But “it won’t be over just by saying ‘it’s behind me and it’s over’,” she said.
“To peddle a lie, you violated the Constitution […] now you have distanced yourself from the conspiracy narrative after playing havoc with the state,” Aurangzeb said.
Commenting on the nature of the relationship between Washington and Islamabad, the former prime minister said it has been “as of a master-servant relationship, or a master-slave relationship, and we’ve been used like a hired gun.”
“But for that, I blame my own governments more than the US.”
But Aurangzeb said Khan considered his supporters “crazy and a herd of sheep” for saying what he said. He has distanced himself from the “narrative of conspiracy, imported government and regime change because it never existed in the first place,” she added.
“Today, Imran Khan has given up the false narrative of imported government and regime change. Today, the true face of the so-called ‘real freedom’ has been exposed completely,” the minister declared.
“To reclaim office, Khan put the foreign relations of Pakistan at grave risk. He played a dangerous game with the interests of the country in his lust for power. He put the country and the nation at risk in his lust for power.
“After teaching lies to the nation, he now says that the US conspiracy narrative is over? He kept appealing to the Supreme Court, and now he says the US conspiracy is over.
“Imran Khan not only threatened national security with his lies but also conspired to destroy the foreign relations of Pakistan. He played a dangerous game with the interest of the country for his political interests,” she said.
