• National interests should not be harmed for political mileage: Bajwa.
• Former COAS says Saudi Arabia is Pakistan’s “friend and benefactor”.
• Bushra Bibi’s allegations drew backlash from govt quarters. 

Former army chief General (retired) Qamar Javed Bajwa on Friday termed the allegations of Bushra Bibi, the wife of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, against Saudi Arabia as “baseless”.

“National interests should not be harmed to gain political mileage by making baseless allegations,” the former army chief said while speaking to Geo News. 

A day earlier, Bushra Bibi issued a rare video message ahead of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI), accusing Saudi Arabia of being involved in ousting her husband’s government.  

She alleged that when the former prime minister went to Madina “barefoot”, the then-army chief Gen (retd) started receiving “their calls”, implying that the Saudi officials had a role in his ouster.

The former first lady claimed that Bajwa was asked, “Who is this person you have brought with you […] we don’t want such personalities.” “Since then, they launched a smear campaign against us and started calling Imran a Jewish agent,” she alleged.

The statement drew strong backlash from government officials, calling it a “suicide attack” to harm friendly relations between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.

Bushra Bibi accompanied Imran during the visits to Saudi Arabia from 2018 to 2021.

Refuting Bushra Bibi’s allegations about the Saudi government’s role in her husband’s ouster, Gen (retd) Bajwa — in a statement issued today —said that Saudi Arabia was Pakistan’s “friend and benefactor”.

“The kingdom has extended all-out support to Pakistan throughout history, including during PTI’s tenure,” he said, adding that the former first lady’s remarks were “totally baseless”.

Meanwhile, different political leaders also criticised Bushra Bibi’s statement, stressing the importance of maintaining respectful and strategic foreign relations.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar expressed dismay over the statement, saying, “Targeting Saudi Arabia for political gains is regrettable. The statement reflects a desperate mindset.”

He urged political forces to refrain from compromising foreign policy for their objectives, highlighting the brotherly relations between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, which are based on mutual respect.

Meanwhile, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif — while addressing a press earlier in the day — castigated the Imran Khan’s spouse saying that politics has stooped to its “ugliest face”.

“Our politics has never witnessed such a low […] she (Bushra) has declared herself as Sharia, how much lower can they stoop,” the top official said.

The PTI’s political ship is sinking, he said, and Bushra made the statement to save it. “There is a conflict between the sisters-in-law; the family is embroiled in an inheritance dispute.”

Following Imran’s removal from prime minister office through a vote of no confidence, the PTI founder — who remains incarcerated at the Adiala jail since August last year — had previously alleged that the US was behind his ouster in 2022, citing a purported cipher linked with the US diplomat Donald Lu.