Soleimani’s Killing
WASHINGTON: Former US President Donald Trump claimed that former Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed elation at the assassination of Qassem Soleimani. Mr. Trump made this assertion during a campaign rally in Houston, Texas, a city with a significant Pakistani diaspora. Many PTI supporters in Houston are gravitating towards Mr. Trump due to their perception of the Biden administration as hostile towards Mr. Khan.
Mr. Soleimani, a prominent figure in Iran who led the Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force and played a crucial role in Iran’s influence across the Middle East, was assassinated on January 3, 2020, by a US drone strike near Baghdad International Airport, just days before Mr. Trump handed over the White House to the 46th President, Joe Biden. Mr. Trump is now seeking reelection in 2024.
Describing his conversation about Mr. Soleimani’s killing with Mr. Khan, Mr. Trump recalled, “They had a Pakistan Khan, he was a great cricket player, he became the head of Pakistan. He said it was the biggest moment of my (Imran’s) life.”
He claimed that the former prime minister also told him, “When I heard that Soleimani was killed, I left my office. I walked to my home. I stayed in my home in solitude for one week. It was the biggest event that ever happened to me.”
Mr. Trump then introduced Mr. Khan to his mostly White American audience, saying, “He was the biggest cricket player. That’s like being a great NFL player or a great baseball player in America. He was said to be just about the best, handsome guy. He became the boss of Pakistan.”
Expanding on his conversation with Imran, Mr. Trump claimed that the former Pakistani prime minister told him, “I left, and I contemplated for one week. It was the biggest event of my life. I have never had anything like that happen.” And “many people felt like that,” Mr. Trump added. However, he did not elaborate on when and where he had this conversation with Imran Khan. The PTI leader, who is now in prison, visited Washington from July 21 to 23, 2019.
In September 2019, he visited New York to address the UN General Assembly and met Mr. Trump on September 23. Mr. Soleimani had not been assassinated at the time of their meeting, and there is no record of a telephonic conversation between the two leaders regarding Mr. Soleimani’s assassination.
Trump’s Claim of Imran Khan’s Reaction to Soleimani’s Assassination Disputed
Reports in the Pakistani media highlighted that Mr. Trump’s claim regarding Mr. Khan’s seclusion following Mr. Soleimani’s killing faces disputes. This is because Mr. Khan addressed a rally in Mianwali the day after the incident and did not mention Mr. Soleimani’s assassination in his speech.
Moreover, the assertion that Mr. Khan walked from his office to his home also appears to be untrue since his office was approximately 15 kilometers away from his home, and as the prime minister, he could not have walked that distance alone without being noticed by anyone.
Sadanand Dhume, a Wall Street Journal columnist, commented on Mr. Trump’s claim, stating, “Whatever your views of Imran Khan, it seems highly unlikely that he told Donald Trump that the assassination of Qassem Soleimani was ‘the biggest moment of my life’ and ‘the biggest event that ever happened to me.”
In reaction to Mr. Dhume’s remarks, Ali Minai quipped, “This has to be the funniest thing Trump has ever said. Absolute genius!”
