ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has rejected former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s claims of US involvement in the regime change last year.
“If this has been the case, as per Imran Khan’s conspiracy theory, we wouldn’t have been able to buy the cheap oil from Russia and revive our relations with China,” said Shehbaz Sharif in his exclusive interview with WeNews on Thursday.
Referring to the excerpt appearing in international media, the Prime Minister said sharing such an information is tantamount to crime.
Answering a query about news appearing in ‘Intercept’, the prime minister stated that he headed two National Security Council meetings and in one of the meetings, Asad Majeed (Foreign Secretary) clearly mentioned that during his meeting with United States official Donald Lu, there was no mention of conspiracy.
“Former army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa and services chiefs are also on record that no conspiracy was hatched against Pakistan,” said Shehbaz Sharif adding, “Imran Khan believed that his ouster from power was due to American conspiracy. If this conspiracy existed, had our government been formed? Would we be able to get Russian oil and revive relations with China, which were badly damaged by Imran Niazi.”
“He (Imran Khan) himself stated in another statement that there was no conspiracy now which statement we should accept,” said the Prime Minister.
“What Imran Khan did to this country is unbecoming… Imran Khan spouted venom against Pakistan and it was all pack of lies and there was not single iota of truth in it.”
He however, stated that what happened between Pakistan and America was due to the ‘disastrous’ approach of the former prime minister. “We had to work very hard for normalising the relationship that were at the lowest ebb.”
Answering a query about the caretaker prime minister he said, “There is a procedure laid down in the constitution and prior to sending advice to President for dissolution of assemblies, consultation with opposition leader on the name of caretaker prime minister cannot be done.”
He said, “The constitutional procedures have been followed and assemblies are dissolved, I will have consultation with opposition leader. I can’t divulge the name but whatever happens will be in the open and nothing will be hidden.”
Prime Miniser Shehbaz Sharif in particular lamented about Imran Khan that what he did with Saudi Arabia was very deplorable, “Saudis have always treated us like brothers and they have always been there for us in the hour of need.”
“Imran Khan wanted to form a bloc isolating Saudi Arabia,” said Shehbaz Sharif adding, “The damage done by Imran Khan to Pakistan at international level is unfathomable and many of our brethren in Islamic countries were unhappy with Imran Khan.”
He said, “One who is not grateful to friends can never be grateful to God.”
On relations with India, the former prime minister made it clear that, “We as Pakistan aspire to have good neighbourly relations with India but till the time Kashmir and water disputes are not resolved, it would be difficult.”
“The two countries spend billions in building their arsenal while the same amount can be spent on people if the disputes are resolved.”
