Imran says vindicated by US analyst’s remarks

Analyst asks Pakistan to end anti-US policies, says 'anti-American policies' cost Imran his job

ISLAMABAD:

Former prime minister Imran Khan on Monday said that US defence analyst Dr Rebecca Grant's remarks on a Fox News show removed "all doubts" regarding the “foreign conspiracy” that allegedly ousted him.

The former prime minister shared a clip from a Fox News show that Khan claimed had vindicated his stance.

In the show, analyst Rebecca Grant was asked to give a message to Pakistan, with whom the US government was not "happy".

In her response, she said Pakistan needed to support Ukraine. "They would also need to end all their agreements with Russia and also should stop seeking any future deals with Russia," she said, adding that ties with China also needed to be curtailed.

The analyst claimed that ex-PM Imran was voted out of office because of the "anti-American policies" as she urged Pakistan to end the anti-US policies.

The viral clip from the show was seen as a shot in the arm of the former prime minister's rallying cry by the supporters of the party.

In a series of tweets, Imran said this video would "remove all doubts as to why a democratically elected PM and his government were removed".

If anyone had any doubts abt US regime change conspiracy this video should remove all doubts as to why a democratically elected PM & his govt were removed. Clearly the US wants an obedient puppet as PM who will not allow Pak choice of neutrality in a European war; pic.twitter.com/rqFW8yQRvZ

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) May 2, 2022

The former prime minister, who lost power to a no-confidence vote last month, has repeatedly claimed that the US “punished” his government over its independent foreign policy, particularly its stance on the Ukraine conflict by orchestrating a conspiracy through its political rivals.

Imran claimed that the US wanted a "puppet as PM who will not allow Pakistan choice of neutrality in a European war".

"My question for the Biden Administration: By indulging in a regime change conspiracy to remove a democratically elected PM of a country of over 220 mn people to bring in a puppet PM, do you think you have lessened or increased anti-American sentiment in Pakistan?" the PTI chairman said.

My question for the Biden Administration: By indulging in a regime change conspiracy to remove a democratically elected PM of a country of over 220 mn people to bring in a puppet PM, do you think you have lessened or increased anti-American sentiment in Pakistan?

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) May 2, 2022

Conspiracy controversy

It is pertinent to note that the US had also dismissed Imran Khan’s claims, saying there was “absolutely no truth to it”.

Fighting for his political life, the PTI chairman had pushed his narrative to the limit and tried to stonewall the no-confidence process by dismissing the National Assembly, a move overturned by the apex court in a landmark verdict.

But contrary to claims by Khan, the military leadership told a National Security Committee (NSC) meeting on March 27 that they had no evidence to suggest the United States had threatened or was involved in the conspiracy to seek the ouster of the PTI government.

Read Imran, wife paid Rs38m to retain foreign gifts worth Rs142m, reveal documents

On March 27, the high-powered NSC headed by then-prime minister, Imran Khan, met to discuss the diplomatic cable which the PTI government claimed contained evidence of the US plot seeking a regime change in Pakistan.

The NSC after the meeting issued a statement expressing serious concerns over the non-diplomatic language used in the cable, saying it was tantamount to interference in the internal matters of Pakistan. The NSC then decided to issue a demarche to the United States.

Later, US State Department Deputy Spokesperson Jalina Porter said that the United States welcomed the statement issued by the NSC that rejected the claim of a “foreign conspiracy” to topple former premier Imran Khan's government.

Welcoming the NSC’s statement, Porter maintained that the US had said “all along” that there was “absolutely no truth to those rumours”.

“I would also like to underscore that the United States values our longstanding cooperation with Pakistan and has always viewed a strong, prosperous and democratic Pakistan as critical to US interests,” the senior official further said.