Imran Khan declared a "certified liar" at US Congressional hearing: Pak Minister for Information
Mar 21, 2024
Islamabad [Pakistan], March 21 : Pakistan's Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Ata Tarar, said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) founder Imran Khan was declared a "certified liar" at the US Congressional hearing, adding that the "cypher drama" had been completely exposed, ARY reported.
He also said that it was Imran Khan who had orchestrated the cypher drama just for the sake of his personal interests.
"The PTI chairman's deceit and hypocrisy have been exposed before the whole world today as [US Assistant Secretary of State] Lu testified before the Congress and called the cypher a complete falsehood," the minister said while addressing a news conference.
Ata Tarar criticised the PTI's conspiracy in the strongest terms, lashing out at the party for their anti-state moves, including the May 9 riots and protests outside the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Headquarters for derailing Pakistan's talks with the lender on the final review of the standby agreement.
"The PTI hired lobbyists in the United States for a congressional hearing on the so-called regime change conspiracy, but their leader could not evade divine justice," he also said, according to ARY News.
Tarar asserted that the hiring of lobbyists in the US for congressional hearings aimed solely to besmirch the country, yet it was Imran Khan, the founder of PTI, who ultimately bore the brunt, being branded a "certified liar."
The minister highlighted that the US diplomat not only debunked the 'cypher drama' but also commended the credibility of Pakistan's general elections and its strides in women's empowerment during the proceedings.
Contrarily, he criticised PTI for persisting in their false narrative regarding the cypher, which severely strained Pakistan's diplomatic relations with other nations.
Tarar recounted how Imran Khan waved a white paper at a public gathering, alleging his government's ousting as a result of a foreign conspiracy, ultimately misleading the nation and causing significant harm to the country.
Today, Ata Tarar lamented, that Imran Khan faced worldwide humiliation, broadcasted across international media channels.
Tarar's press conference followed an hour after US Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu once again rebuffed Imran Khan's cypher allegations, denouncing them as a "conspiracy theory, lie, and complete falsehood."
Testifying before a subcommittee of the US panel, Lu declared, "Imran Khan's cypher conspiracy theory is a lie and a complete falsehood."
He clarified, "It is not accurate. At no point does it accuse the US government or me personally of taking steps against Imran Khan. And thirdly, the other person in the meeting, the then-ambassador of Pakistan to the US, has testified to his own government that there was no conspiracy."
The hearing, titled 'Pakistan After the Elections: Examining the Future of Democracy in Pakistan and the US-Pakistan Relationship,' saw Lu fielding questions about the allegations and offering his assessment.
Lu also said., "We respect the sovereignty of Pakistan, we respect the principle that Pakistani people should be the only ones to choose their leader through the democratic process," ARY News reported.