'You said he was operating from India …': Pakistan defence minister Khawaja Asif contradicts himself on Imran Khan; left flustered by reporter – The Times of India

Pakistan defence minister Khawaja Asif

NEW DELHI: Pakistan’s defence minister Khawaja Asif was left visibly flustered during an interview with journalist Mehdi Hasan after being caught in a contradiction over his claims about former prime minister Imran Khan’s social media activity.In the exchange, Asif first insisted that Khan was personally operating his Twitter account from inside Adiala Jail, where he has been imprisoned since August 2023. But when Hasan pressed him on earlier remarks suggesting that the account was controlled from India, the minister struggled to defend himself.“He is operating a Twitter account from the jail cell,” Asif initially said. Hasan interjected: “You said he was operating from India the other day… You said India is controlling his Twitter account… You just made two different allegations. Is it Imran in his prison cell or is it India?”

Defence minister, appearing unsettled, responded: “Either he is operating from the cell or he should at least identify who is operating the jail cell.” He went on to cite “intelligence sources” as the basis for his claims but refused to offer any evidence. “The evidence I cannot publicly disclose,” Asif said. When Hasan asked why he would make such an allegation without proof, Asif replied bluntly: “No, because it is there.” Pressed further, he conceded, “Yes, based on, obviously, intelligence. Nobody is stating it openly.”The interview also touched on Pakistan’s foreign relations. Hasan pointed to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute showing that around 80 per cent of Pakistan’s weapons over the past four years have come from China. He asked whether recent moves to deepen ties with Washington under Donald Trump, through mineral and crypto deals, risked jeopardising relations with Beijing.Asif brushed off the suggestion. “We are not worried about that because it’s a time-tested relationship with China since the late 50s… I’ll just conclude it by saying that China is not worried about our flirtations or whatever you call it.”Pressed on whether Pakistan’s strategic future lies with the US or China, Asif was unequivocal. “In the past, even today and in the future also, China has been a very reliable ally, a very reliable provider of arms of all kinds to us… Almost a major portion of our arms are from China, and our defence cooperation is increasing. It is much more robust than before.” He added: “They are reliable and they are our neighbours. We share borders and we share the geography.”His remarks came a day after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Asim Munir met President Trump at the White House.