Concerned over the adverse fallout of former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s allegation that a US-led ‘foreign conspiracy’ ousting his government from power in Pakistan, the US State Department came into a damage control mode.

A State Department spokesperson Ned Price has said the Joe Biden administration won’t allow the allegation to cause any damage to his country’s ties with its strategic ally. Dismissing Khan’s foreign conspiracy claim as “propaganda and lies”, he said the US values its relationship with Pakistan.

The State Department Secretary said, “Secretary of State Antony Blinken had a detailed discussion with Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. They talked about strengthening the ties between two countries.”

Zardari said the former Pakistani Prime Minister’s narrative of a foreign conspiracy is based on a “false, self-made concocted theory”.

“Imran Khan’s stance on a foreign conspiracy is false as he was removed by a democratic conspiracy. He was removed by constitutional means. He was removed by the conspiracy of the Bilawal House, not the United States,” he added.

Taking exception to the former Prime Minister’s allegations, Bilawal said, “Imran Khan is now attacking the state institutions and harming democracy. Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) spent three years to bring the Opposition on one page and remove Imran Khan. We brought the Opposition on one page, brought a no-confidence motion and succeeded. I advise Imran Khan to come back to the Parliament and play his role as the Opposition leader.”

Ever since his ouster from power, Imran Khan is staging massive protest demonstrations attended by thousands of his supporters. He insists a US-led conspiracy with the support of Opposition parties led to regime change in the country.

Interestingly, the foreign conspiracy narrative finds favour with the masses. Reluctant to accept the incumbent government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the public is vociferously demanding immediate elections in the country.

Slamming the the current government for conspiring against him and his government at the behest of the Biden administration, Khan has said he vowed continue build enough pressure on it to call for early elections in the country.

Giving a call for a long march to Islamabad, Khan asserted that he would stage a massive protest to pressurise the present government to meet his demand for the early elections.

With inputs from IANS