ISLAMABAD: Russian Ambassador to Pakistan Danila Ganich has said the US could be a factor, not “the cause” of the removal of Imran Khan from the prime minister’s office, saying serious domestic issues led to his fall.
He stated this in an interview with a private TV channel.
The interviewer asked the ambassador about his country’s views about a conspiracy allegedly hatched by the US to oust Imran Khan from power, the ambassador responded, “I think we cannot look at it black and white. Definitely when you have disappointment on part of the superpower, which the US clearly is, so you got problems.”
He said, “When they (the US) told Imran Khan to wind up his Russia visit, and he refused, acted like a man who didn’t humiliate himself (by) giving in to a diktat, (he) definitely irritated the White House,” but clarified the US is a factor but not “the cause” of Imran Khan’s removal.
When the interviewer asked the ambassador more explicitly about any American signal to Imran Khan vis-à-vis his US visit, Danila Ganich responded, “I don’t know exactly in what form. When you are asking like this, probably I have put it awkwardly because English is not my native language.”
The ambassador continued, “When I say he refused to wind up a visit that means he got a signal. This clear and it was in your press too.”
The ambassador said the PTI chief’s visit to Russia at the time of the attack on Ukraine was a “coincidence”. He said Imran Khan landed in Russia on February 24, which proves he did not know what was going to happen (attack on Ukraine), “otherwise he wouldn’t have come.”
The ambassador said, “If Imran Khan, whom I respect very much, hadn’t had serious, internal, domestic problems, he would have stayed as the head of government.” from power, the ambassador responded, “I think we cannot look at it black and white. Definitely when you have disappointment on part of the superpower, which the US clearly is, so you got problems.”
He said, “When they (the US) told Imran Khan to wind up his Russia visit, and he refused, acted like a man who didn’t humiliate himself (by) giving in to a diktat, (he) definitely irritated the White House,” but clarified the US is a factor but not “the cause” of Imran Khan’s removal.
When the interviewer asked the ambassador more explicitly about any American signal to Imran Khan vis-à-vis his US visit, Danila Ganich responded, “I don’t know exactly in what form. When you are asking like this, probably I have put it awkwardly because English is not my native language.”
The ambassador continued, “When I say he refused to wind up a visit that means he got a signal. This clear and it was in your press too.”
The ambassador said the PTI chief’s visit to Russia at the time of the attack on Ukraine was a “coincidence”. He said Imran Khan landed in Russia on February 24, which proves he did not know what was going to happen (attack on Ukraine), “otherwise he wouldn’t have come.”
The ambassador said, “If Imran Khan, whom I respect very much, hadn’t had serious, internal, domestic problems, he would have stayed as the head of government.”
