'Have excellent relations with Saudi Arabia', Imran Khan on Bushra Bibi's remarks

• Bushra Bibi did not mention Saudi Arabia at all: Imran Khan.
• Says Crown Prince MBS was first to call after Wazirabad attack.
• "Govt toppled via conspiracies, orchestrated by ex-COAS Bajwa."
  

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.

Khan was shot in the leg on November 3, 2022, as he waved to crowds from a truck-mounted container while leading a protest march to Islamabad to pressure the government into announcing an early election — but it was cut short in Rawalpindi.

Furthermore, the former premier said only two weeks before the PTI-led government was toppled. "We held a very successful OIC foreign minister's conference in Islamabad, which would have been impossible to do had Saudia Arabia not supported and stood with us."

He also claimed that his government was toppled through conspiracies, all orchestrated by former army chief General Bajwa. "I tried to have these investigated through the Chief Justice and General Tariq Khan, but General Bajwa did not allow that to happen."

The PTI founder reiterated that his wife has no connection with politics and she only conveyed his message to the nation regarding the November 24th protest.

Calling November 24 "the day to break free from slavery", he said that the rule of law, constitution, and human rights were suspended in Pakistan, forcing the nation to come out to protest and make sacrifices.

"The nation must decide whether to wear the yoke of slavery like Bahadur Shah Zafar or to adorn the crown of freedom like Tipu Sultan," he added.

Govt’s backlash

Bushra Bibi’s allegations against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) drew a strong backlash from government officials, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif saying that the nation would break any hand that dared to sabotage Pakistan-Saud Arabia's friendship.

"If someone spews venom against Saudi Arabia, then what would they say about Pakistani nation, government, and its politicians," the premier added.

Regretting the sowing of the seeds of hatred, he said such statements were driven by personal and political agendas.

In a statement issued a day earlier, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar expressed dismay over the statement, saying: "Targeting Saudi Arabia for political gains is regrettable. The statement reflects a desperate mindset."

He urged political forces to refrain from compromising foreign policy for their objectives, highlighting the brotherly relations between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, which are based on mutual respect.

Meanwhile, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif also castigated Imran Khan’s spouse saying that politics has stooped to its "ugliest face".

"Our politics has never witnessed such a low [...] she [Bushra] has declared herself as Sharia, how much lower can they stoop," the defence czar said.

The PTI's political ship is sinking, he said, and Bushra made the statement to save it. "There is a conflict between the sisters-in-law; the family is embroiled in an inheritance dispute."

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz also came down hard on the former first lady's statement, saying: "A woman with no political background has attacked an ally country of Pakistan."

"Saudi Arabia, which has always supported Pakistan in difficult times." She said the PTI had once again launched an assault on an ally state, driven by a dangerous agenda.

Following Imran’s removal from prime minister office through a vote of no confidence, the PTI founder — who remains incarcerated at the Adiala jail since August last year — had previously alleged that the US was behind his ouster in 2022, citing a purported cipher linked with the US diplomat Donald Lu.