Fact Check: US TV video has nothing to do with PTI govt ouster

ISLAMABAD: Several Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders Monday, by posting a video from Fox News in which US defence analyst Rebecca Grant was giving her views, claimed that the United States was behind the ouster of the Imran Khan government.

Fact Check: Pakistan has revealed that it was not true as the analyst speaking in the video had nothing to do with the US administration. In the series of tweets, the Fact Check Pakistan said: “Former PTI Minister Shireen Mazari tweeted this clip from Fox News and claimed this was proof that Imran Khan’s government was ousted by the US Government - soon after hundreds of PTI supporters' accounts began making the same claim

“However the fact is that the person Ms Mazari is quoting as proof the US Govt was behind Imran Khan’s ouster has nothing to do with the US Govt -- she has not worked for the US Govt in the past either. She is an analyst in Fox and runs her own firm IRIS Independent Research.

“This, however, did not prevent ARY from posting a report based on the former minister's incorrect claim, and without clarifying that the person being quoted has nothing to with the US government or has ever worked for the US government.

"So far four former ministers of the previous PTI government have all tweeted the same Fox News clip claiming it to be ‘proof’ that their government was ousted by the US government. The woman in question owns her own thinktank and is a relatively unknown Fox News contributor.”

Earlier, former human rights minister Shireen Mazari posted the clip from Fox News and claimed this was proof that Imran Khan's government was ousted by the US government -- soon after hundreds of PTI supporters' accounts began making the same claim.

Former prime minister Imran Khan also tweeted the video of Rebecca Grant and said if anyone had any doubts about US regime change conspiracy, this video should remove all doubts as to why a democratically-elected PM and his government were removed.

"Clearly the US wants an obedient puppet as PM who will not allow Pakistan's choice of neutrality in a European war, a PM who will be obedient to US demands, who will not sign agreements with Russia & who will downgrade our strategic relationship with China. If a PM asserts Pak sovereignty & an independent foreign policy, he will be removed & a subservient crooked PM like Shehbaz Sharif will be brought in,” Imran tweeted.

In the video, defence analyst Rebecca Grant was asked about the message she would give to Pakistan which is a nuclear power and has a big army. In her response, Grant said Pakistan needs to support Ukraine. They would also need to end all their agreements with Russia and also should stop seeking any future deals with Russia. Rebecca Grant said that Pakistan needs to limit its involvement with China.

The US defence analyst said that Pakistan also needs to end anti-US policies, which are part of the reasons Imran Khan had been voted out of the prime minister's office a few weeks ago. Hence it's time that Pakistan should end anti-US policies and end its dealings with Russia.