PTI irked by coverage of party chief's interviews.

ISLAMABAD -- A day after the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman made a course correction on his claims about the alleged role of the United States in his ouster from power earlier this year, former prime minister Imran Khan said a 'propaganda cell' in the Pakistani media was allegedly feeding journalists information against him.

'They are told to pick and choose things from my interview(s) and then turn it against me,' the former premier claimed in a video posted by PTI on its official Twitter handle.

Mr Khan said that journalism in Pakistan had 'stooped to a level where foreign journalists had to intervene, saying they were being misquoted'.

Coverage of the PTI chairman's interview to the Financial Times, in which Mr Khan had indicated that he 'no longer blamed the US [for his ouster]', continued to irk PTI leaders throughout the day. Sharing a picture of the front page of the newspaper, PTI leader Shireen Mazari termed the headline 'shameful'.

PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry also called out the local media for its alleged 'agenda-based reporting' while reacting to the coverage of Mr Khan's interview. 'International media is now getting clarity on how agenda-based reporting blurred reality of Pak politics,' he said on Twitter.

Former energy minister Hammad Azhar also took offence, saying: 'Headline twisting and angling has taken extreme forms in Pakistan these days. Domestic arm-twisting, strong editorial prejudices and international aid flows to media outlets in Pakistan combine to create ridiculous headlines.'

Criticism of 'course correction'

Responding to the interview, PM Shehbaz Sharif took his predecessor to task for causing 'irreparable damage' to the country through his conspiracy claims. '[Imran] Niazi's interview with FT in which he rebutted his foreign conspiracy theory is a reminder of vicious role he played to harm Pakistan's external relations while pursuing his own petty politics,' he tweeted.

Meanwhile, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said the former premier will have to answer for 'playing with the national...