PTI chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan on Saturday reiterated that during his time in power he would "never have agreed" to any US demands of being given military bases in Pakistan in the aftermath of the former's evacuation from the neighbouring Afghanistan.
Imran, who was voted out of the top office last month via a no-confidence movement, which he alleges was masterminded by the US through the help of local players over his pursuance of an independent foreign policy, made these remarks while addressing overseas Pakistanis in a video message.
He said that the US wanted bases in Pakistan in order to "conduct [counter attacks] from here in case if there were any terrorism in Afghanistan" — something he said he found "absolutely unacceptable".
Imran said Pakistan had already lost 80,000 lives in the US-led 'war on terror' and still its sacrifices were never appreciated, with many US politicians blaming it instead.
"First they blamed us, then they didn't appreciate us, our country and tribal areas were destroyed and now [they] are again asking for bases. I would have never agreed to this and the problems [between us] started from there."
It is pertinent to mention that Imran, in an interview in June 2021, had categorically said that Pakistan would “absolutely not” allow any bases and use of its territory to the US for any sort of action inside Afghanistan.
His comments today were similar to the ones he made in a recent podcast where he said that the US was "asking for bases here to stop international terrorism in Afghanistan".
In today's video address, the PTI chairman said the US wasn't used to Pakistan's government "making independent decisions". He said he wanted Pakistan's foreign policy to be for its own benefit instead of pursuing someone else's objectives.
"The problems started here," he said, adding that Pakistan's relationship with China and visit to Russia were also a "problem" for the US.
Imran alleged that the "conspiracy" to topple his government started after he refused the demand for military bases and was aided by local abettors.
He said that by July and August of last year he had understood that "something was happening". Imran said the "bigger conspiracy" than his government being toppled was in who replaced him as he lashed out at the current government and branded it a "corrupt mafia".
Imran criticised the members of the coalition government, claiming that "powerful local forces" had prevented their convictions in the cases against them.
He said that in his experience, Pakistan's "ruling elite is corrupt, soft and slaves" and would not survive without the US.
"To place such people over us is a conspiracy against the future of this country and also its disrespect."
Imran said an example of how conspiracies to topple governments were pulled off was the fall of Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh and recounted his claims about the 'Cablegate' affair and the toppling of his government through a successful vote of no-confidence.
He thanked overseas Pakistanis for staging rallies and protests in his support after his ouster and called on them to participate in social media campaigns to spread awareness about the alleged conspiracy and write to their politicians and public representatives to hold them to account and question if they would allow such a move in their own country.
Imran also urged overseas Pakistanis to contribute and donate to the PTI's fundraising campaign for its protests and rallies, saying that a "little bit of your support" would go a long way in helping the party.
"Time will prove that this will be the defining moment in Pakistan when the nation will be free of such thieves and traitors and we will venture towards the dream of a new Pakistan."
"I have never seen such awareness and unity in the public as today. I only saw it during the 1965 war and I still remember how the whole nation had united," he said.
He said the nation had come together on not accepting servitude or the "imported" government — referring to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's coalition government.
Imran predicted a massive turnout for his planned march to Islamabad on May 20, adding that the PTI did not want discord or violence in the march, rather it wanted families to participate too so the world and the institutions could know where the nation stood.
Cablegate
Ever since his ouster through a no-confidence vote in the National Assembly, Imran has dismissed the Shehbaz government, terming it "imported".
The former PM said that the no-confidence move against him was part of a foreign conspiracy, claiming that the cable received from the ambassador on March 7, a day before the opposition officially filed the no-trust move against him, was evidence of the conspiracy.
Imran claimed that the cable showed Pakistan was threatened by a US diplomat who said the country would have to face consequences if he was not removed via the no-trust motion, which had not even been filed at the time.
“How could they know about the no-confidence motion even before it was filed?” Imran has asked charged supporters in several public rallies in the past few weeks, adding that local abettors colluded with their “foreign sponsors” to make the alleged conspiracy successful.
The issue was first raised by Imran at a public rally on March 27, four days before the first NSC meeting was held to review the contents of the cable.
Since then, Imran has referred to the cable in several public addresses when talking about an alleged plot to remove him from power.
In one of his addresses, Imran said the cable carried details of the ambassador’s meeting with US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Affairs Donald Lu in which the latter allegedly threatened Pakistan.
Majeed, in the cable, reportedly said that Lu warned that Imran's continuation as the prime minister would have repercussions for bilateral relations. The US, Imran claimed, was annoyed with his "independent foreign policy" and visit to Moscow.
It was on the basis of this cable, which he saw as evidence of a conspiracy to oust Imran, that the National Assembly Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri gave a ruling to dismiss the no-trust move against the then premier on April 3, when voting on the resolution was set to take place, terming the motion contradictory to Article 5 of the Constitution, which mandates loyalty to the state for all citizens.
Suri's ruling was subsequently voided by the Supreme Court and voting on the no-trust resolution finally took place on April 10, as a result of which Imran was removed as prime minister.
from The Dawn News - Home https://ift.tt/GPiXqO3
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