ISLAMABAD  -  Former US President Donald Trump has put Pakistan Tehrik- e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan in a new trouble, accusing him of celebrating the death of Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani in 2020.

Following a 2024 campaign rally in Houston, Texas, former US President Donald Trump alleged that Imran Khan, the former prime minister of Pakistan, had expressed joy over the death of Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani, referring to it as “the single most significant event I can recall in my life.”

Trump claimed that during a conversation with Imran Khan, whom he referred to as “the head of Pakistan,” Khan purportedly stated, “The most significant moment in my life was when I heard about Soleimani’s death. I left my office, went to my home, and spent a week in seclusion.” This assertion is noteworthy as Soleimani was killed on January 3, 2020, in Iraq, and Khan had addressed a public gathering in Mianwali, Punjab, the very next day. Pakistani journalist Hassan I Hassan posted on X: “Trump spills some beans around the killing of Iran’s master operative general Qassem Soleimani in 2020 just before COVID. One, about former Pakistan PM Imran Khan rejoicing at the killing. Another, more important, about Iran staging the retribution by not just giving heads up to the US but also communicating the domestic rationale for the firing of 18 missiles into an American base.” He added: “The second one is significant if you remember how this event was reported in the media at the time, and the hard time some of us had trying to push back against that narrative.” The former US president also disclosed details of a conversation with Iranian officials following Soleimani’s death. According to Trump, Iranian authorities contacted the US and conveyed, “We have no choice but to retaliate to maintain our self-respect. We are going to launch 18 missiles at a specific (US) military base.