P.M. Sharif addresses a ceremony after laying foundation stone of Bhara Kahu bypass in Islamabad. Photo courtesy PID
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday accused his predecessor, Imran Khan, of deceiving the nation through false claims, stressing that an audio leak from earlier this week had “shattered the narrative” of him being ousted through a foreign conspiracy.
“Everything became clear after Wednesday’s audio leak,” he told a ceremony to lay the foundation of the Bhara Kahu bypass in Islamabad, adding it had revealed Khan’s “detestable face” to the entire nation. “How long will your lies survive … I don’t think there can be a more heinous crime,” he said.
Wednesday’s audio leak was part of a series of conversations allegedly recorded at Prime Minister’s House and featured Khan and his principal secretary, Azam Khan, deliberating on how to “play” with the cipher and establish it as “evidence” of a foreign conspiracy. Referring to this recording, Sharif alleged Khan had been directing Azam to “hatch a conspiracy against Pakistan,” adding that he had never before seen a more “irresponsible person and a bigger liar” in his political career. “This is something that needs to be lamented and calls for introspection,” he stressed, noting that no one could have imagined how much Khan lied after he had been lauded for leading the national cricket team to a World Cup and building the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital.
Claiming the entire nation had been “shamed” by Khan’s lies about a foreign conspiracy, the prime minister regretted that Khan had damaged the “honor of the entire nation” by repeatedly accusing the U.S. of hatching a conspiracy against his government and branding his political opponents as “traitors.”
Khan, claimed Sharif, had even gone on to conspire against the country’s institutions. “There are no two ways about it. But the worst conspiracy against Pakistan was him defaming the country’s politicians by labeling them as traitors,” he said, stressing that the audio leak had clarified everything.
The prime minister also reiterated allegations that Khan’s behavior had angered Pakistan’s friendly countries, saying he had been told the former prime minister had been “arrogant” in his dealings with foreign officials. He claimed several leaders had pointed out to him that the ruling coalition had “taken on a huge burden” by ousting Khan, as his popularity had already been on the decline. “I told them I did it to save the state of Pakistan,” he said.
Despite all this, said Sharif, he was still ready to invite everyone, including Khan, to work with the incumbent government to help Pakistan. “Look beyond yourself and set aside differences,” he advised the PTI chief, lamenting that Khan’s actions suggested he did not want Pakistan to progress.