Imran Khan won't be given free ticket after foreign conspiracy narrative's withdrawal

Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb Monday fired a broadside at PTI chief Imran Khan, saying that he had now given up the foreign conspiracy narrative after playing havoc with the national interests.

In her reaction to Imran Khan’s interview with the Financial Times, Aurangzeb said the former prime minister could not be pardoned after retracting from his narrative and that he will be held accountable.

The minister said that on the basis of this narrative, chaos and lies were spread throughout the country and now a simple withdrawal was not enough.

“After terming the parliament, the Pakistan Army, and the national institutions as traitors, he can’t be given a free ticket just by saying it’s behind me and it’s over," the PML-N leader added.

The PTI head forced people in constitutional positions to violate the Constitution for the sake of his concocted story, she remarked.

Khan, she said, had no other option but to surrender his fake rhetoric of the conspiracy, imported government and regime change. “Imran Khan put Pakistan’s interests in grave danger for the lust for power,” she added.

'Unacceptable'

PPP Senator Sherry Rehman said that Khan should not try to withdraw his US conspiracy narrative now as this was a matter concerning national security.

Taking to Twitter, Rehman said that Khan's U-turn is "unacceptable". She added the former prime minister, after causing diplomatic damage to Pakistan, is saying that he will not blame the US.

"The audio leak shows that Imran Khan fabricated and false narrative and planned to play on it," she added.

She continued to say that Khan accused the national institutions based on this narrative.

Imran 'no longer blames US'

The PTI chief, a day earlier, signalled his desire to mend ties with the United States through cooperation with Washington in the future.

In an interview with the Financial Times, Khan said that "he no longer blamed the US" and wants "dignified” ties with the country if he comes back to power.

Referring to the alleged conspiracy, Khan said that "it was over".

“As far as I’m concerned it’s over, it’s behind me. The Pakistan I want to lead must have good relationships with everyone, especially the United States," he said.

“Our relationship with the US 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," the publication quoted the former premier as saying.