ISLAMABAD: A day after claiming to ‘topple’ Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government within no time, Minister for Defence Pervez Khattak on Sunday backtracked from his stance and said he was ‘indebted’ to him.

In a video which went viral on social media, Khattak while speaking at his native town of Manki Sharif in Nowshera district; can be heard saying: “I can take whoever I want to the heights of success and make zero whoever I want and this is a result of my hard work.”

During the speech he made on Saturday, the minister also said that he was competing against the entire country, going on to add, “if I do any mischief, Imran Khan’s government would not function even for one day but I am indebted to him”.

“I do not only handle government officials but also deal with members of the opposition. Everyone respects me,” he claimed.

But in a tweet on Sunday, Khattak clarified that he “clearly mentioned in my speech for the locals of my village in Nowshera that I’m sincere & indebted to Imran Khan”.

“We are successful in our constituency due to our efforts and support of Imran Khan. We will defeat all opposition parties ganged up against the candidate we are supporting for the by-election,” he tweeted.

The by-election in PK-63 constituency of Nowshera district is scheduled to be held on Feb 19. The PK-63 seat had fallen vacant after the death of member of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Mian Jamsheduddin Kakakhel of the ruling PTI.

Earlier this month, PPP had announced the withdrawal of its candidate, Liaquat Shabab, from the by-election in favour of the PML-N nominee Ikhtiar Wali Khan.

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) candidate Mufti Hakim Ali Haqqani had already announced support for the PML-N candidate in the by-election.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021