The Sunday Guardian has reported that Khan might run for the leadership in a Manning-backed plot to overthrow the current leader, Keith Rowley.
However in an interview with the Express the former chairman said his interest lies in "Balisier House, not the Red House". The former MP for Mayaro said he wants to work on building back the party from the ground up.
"We will deal with Red House in 2015 or before—whenever the 'Partnership' collapses," he stated.
The party's former leader,Patrick Manning, called a snap election just two years into a five-year term with a strong majority of 26 of the 41 seats and was soundly beaten, with the PNM retaining only 12 seats.
"It's a long, hot summer. And based on my three years of fighting Ortoire/Mayaro to bring the PNM into government, I know what hard work entails," said Khan, who represented that constituency. He told the paper it took three years of continuous work to win the seat.
"I know what the struggle is about and it would take a lot of physical work, a lot of long hours, a lot of nights talking to people, holding meetings," he said. "I want to champion that cause in collaboration with, and on behalf of, the political leader and with the newly elected executive.
"We have to redefine the post-Manning era, and greater clarity would come to that vision in due course. And I want to be a front-runner in that crusade. No more, no less," Khan stated.
Khan had to quit his cabinet post and the party position afte he was charged with corruption in 2005. The charges were recently dropped.
He proclaimed his innocence. "I went through real pressure over the last five years...Nobody could fault me for anything. I resigned on the accusation alone... only to find out now that this was a major conspiracy. But I don't want to go there. That is for the police to decide what they want to do.
The Express asked Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley for an opinion on Khan's decision to run for the chairmanship. "The PNM is going to convention and I expect that party members will offer themselves for the variety of posts that are up. We are putting things in place to have a successful convention to elect a national executive," he said.
"I have fought in the PNM in 1996 and the gist of my campaign was that any party member should be free to aspire to any office without rancour or without obstruction. I have to stand by the principles I sought to establish in 1996.
"But I am hoping that the party would take a very careful look at how we got where we are today and elect people who could take us from where we are to where we want to go."
Rowley, who is recuperating from minor surgery said the PNM has a credbility problem right now and he is working to change that.
"I am sure that there are candidates that will bring something to the table, some that would work better than others, but let the election proceed and let's elect a national executive. It is not for me to determine that the PNM executive should be in my likeness and image," Rowley said.
He pointed out, however, that he wants to see the party elect a strong national executive that is representative of the country and who can do the job at hand. "That is my only requirement," he said.
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