ISLAMABAD: State Department Spokesman Ned Price said on Wednesday the United States would not let “propaganda and lies” harm bilateral ties, responding to a question about former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s accusations he was removed from office in a regime change attempt backed by Washington.
The White House has also previously denied the United States sought to remove Khan from power after he made similar accusations in past months.
“We are not going to let propaganda, allegations, disinformation, and lies harm bilateral relationships, including the one with Pakistan,” Price said at a press briefing.
Khan, 69, who led the nuclear-armed South Asian country of 220 million people for 3-1/2 years, accused Washington of backing his ouster because he had visited Moscow against US advice. Washington denies the charge.
Khan met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 24, the day Russian forces invaded neighboring Ukraine.
Khan initially blocked the no-confidence move in which he was ultimately ousted, saying a forum of civil and military leaders, the National Security Committee, had endorsed the alleged conspiracy.
Military spokesman Major General Babar Iftikhar denied this last month.
“You can see clearly whether there’s any word of conspiracy in that statement. I don’t think so,” he told a news conference in reference to an NSC statement that month which had expressed concern over non-diplomatic language used in a cable from a “foreign country,” widely assumed to mean the United States, about the no-confidence vote.
Commenting on a recent telephone conversation between new Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Price said they “had an opportunity to reflect on the 75th anniversary of US-Pakistani relations, to talk about how we can strengthen that cooperation going forward. It is a broad-based bilateral relationship.”
“They also discussed ongoing engagement when it comes to our economic ties, trade and investment, climate, energy, health, and education,” Price added. “The Secretary underscored the resolute and US-Pakistan commitment regarding Afghan stability and to combating terrorism as well.”
