Imran's politics 'based on lies', says PM Shehbaz

Premier claims PTI chief 'desperate' to return to power after Imran alleged that Bajwa responsible for PTI ouster

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan’s politics were ‘based on lies’ and were exposed by the day.

Taking to his official Twitter handle, the incumbent premier stated that “Imran Niazi’s antics and somersaults continued to disappoint the nation”.

Imran Niazi's antics & somersaults continue to disappoint the nation. The only constant is his desperation to get back into power even if it involves plunging the country into a protracted period of instability. His politics is based on lies which are getting exposed by the day.

— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) February 13, 2023

He furthered that the only constant about the former prime minister was his “desperation” to return to power, even if it involved “plunging the country into a protracted period of instability”.

Shehbaz's comment came a day after Imran took a U-turn from his previous stance of the US involvement in his ouster from power in April last year and instead blamed the former chief of the army staff (COAS) Gen (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa.  

Read Imran on the offensive, asks 'how can Shehbaz be so shameless

Referring to a recent article based on an interview of former army chief Bajwa, the PTI chairman while addressing his supporters via a video link had said the nation was aware that the ex-COAS had toppled the PTI government but he had not expected Bajwa to "admit to this".

In an earlier interview with the Voice of America, the deposed PM also spoke about his allegations of the US involvement in a "conspiracy" that ultimately led to his ouster and said that based on the information he had received, he no longer held Washington to have planned to topple his government.

"Whatever happened, now as things unfold, it wasn't the US who told Pakistan [to oust me]. It was unfortunately, from what evidence has come up, Gen Bajwa who somehow managed to tell the Americans that I was anti-American. And so, it [the plan to oust me] wasn't imported from there. It was exported from here to there," Imran had said.