PTI slams ex-CIA officer’s ‘baseless’ allegations against Imran, demands apology

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Sunday demanded of ex-CIA officer John Kiriakou to publicly apologise for his “false statements” about party founder Imran Khan, saying otherwise the party reserves the right to pursue legal action against him in US courts in response to his baseless charges.

“His recent interview contains absurd, false, and fabricated allegations regarding Imran Khan, the cipher, and the U.S. ambassador without presenting a single piece of evidence or document. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf strongly condemns these baseless claims,” it noted.

In a statement, released by its Central Media Department, the PTI said the former CIA officer’s past statements are themselves evidence of his contradictions.

It stated that the truth is that Pakistan’s then-ambassador to the United States, Asad Majeed, formally communicated the details of his meeting with Donald Lu to the Foreign Office through an official cipher.

In 2022, the party said that then prime minister Imran Khan presented the “facts of this cipher before the National Security Committee, Parliament, and the Federal Cabinet. The state institutions of Pakistan later formally acknowledged the matter, and a decision was taken to issue a demarche (official note of protest) to the U.S Embassy in Pakistan”.

Subsequently, it said, a U.S. embassy official was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to record Pakistan’s formal protest since there was no American ambassador posted in Islamabad at the time. “This clearly proves that Imran Khan raised the issue as a matter of national sovereignty, not for any personal or political gain.”

It also noted that Jemima Khan has neither visited Pakistan for many years, nor has she ever contacted the government of Pakistan regarding Imran Khan’s release; This claim is also “entirely false and based on misinformation”.

The party said that most of John Kiriakou’s recent interviews appear to be “influenced by political lobbies and foreign interests”. “His anti-Pakistan remarks are often prominently featured in Indian media, which further exposes his clear bias,” it added.

Regarding the cipher issue, it said Imran Khan’s stance was purely in defence of Pakistan’s national sovereignty and against foreign interference, which is the right and duty of every leader of a free nation.