Imran Khan said he wants to mend relations with the US despite accusing it of treating Pakistan as a “slave”, signalling a desire to work with Washington after claiming it conspired to remove him as prime minister earlier this year.
In an interview with the Financial Times following an assassination attempt this month, Khan said he no longer “blamed” the US and wants a “dignified” relationship if re-elected. He also warned that Pakistan was close to default and criticised the country’s IMF programme.
The former cricket captain was ousted in April in a no-confidence vote he claims was the result of a conspiracy between prime minister Shehbaz Sharif and the US, a top security partner to Pakistan that has provided the country with billions of dollars in military aid.