More than an year after Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu was named by the then Prime Minister Imran Khan as a conspirator who got his government removed from power, a senior US official has publicly defended him.

Elizabeth Horst, the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, said that the allegations levelled by the Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) were “categorically false”.

The American government has repeatedly denied Imran Khan’s allegations, however, they have never named him before Tuesday.

Horst made the remarks at a conference held in Houston to discuss the future of American and Pakistani relations. “We do not let propaganda, misinformation, and disinformation get in the way of any bilateral relationship, including our valued partnership with Pakistan,” she said, adding that her speech was an “opportunity to address disinformation”.

Horst also reiterated her administration’s stance of working with any government elected by the Pakistani people as the National Assembly is expected to be dissolved next month.

“We do not have any position on any political candidate or party,” Horst said during the conference, stressing that the US supports democratic principles, freedom of speech, and the rule of law.

The statements come in the backdrop of looming general elections, after media reports have said that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) have decided to dissolve the National Assembly before the completion of its tenure.

However, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb tweeted on Tuesday that the date for dissolution of the National Assembly has not been decided yet. She has also said that the date would be decided after consultation with allied parties of the coalition government.