Bushra’s statement was “deliberately taken out of context to draw Kingdom into a needless controversy,” says former PM
ISLAMABAD, NOV 22 /DNA/ – A day after Bushra Bibi accused Saudi Arabia of being involved in the ouster of her husband’s government, incarcerated former prime minister Imran Khan jumped to his spouse’s rescue and said that her statement was “deliberately taken out of context to draw our brotherly country into a needless controversy”
“She [Bushra] didn’t mention Saudi Arabia at all,” the former premier — who remains incarcerated at the Adiala jail since August last year — said in a statement issued on his official X handle.The former first lady, a day earlier, issued a rare video message ahead of PTI’s “do-or-die” protest, accusing Saudi Arabia of being involved in ousting her husband’s government.
She alleged that when the former prime minister went to Madina “barefoot”, the then-army chief Gen (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa started receiving “their calls”, implying that the Saudi officials had a role in his ouster.
The former first lady claimed that Bajwa was asked, “Who is this person you have brought with you […] we don’t want such personalities. Since then, they launched a smear campaign against us and started calling Imran a Jewish agent,” she alleged.
The statement drew strong backlash from government officials, calling it a “suicide attack” to harm friendly relations between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
However, Imran rebuffed the government’s impression, saying that he has “excellent relations” with Saudi Arabia.
“When I was attacked in Wazirabad, one of the first calls I received was, through the embassy, from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman,” he wrote, noting that the Kingdom has always stood by us in difficult times.
