Islamabad, Pakistan | Fri, April 1, 2022
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan accused the US of seeking to sway political events in the country on Thursday, as he confronts a no-confidence vote. According to Kyodo News, Khan stated at a public gathering in Islamabad on Sunday that the opposition’s no-confidence vote was the result of a “foreign conspiracy,” but did not name a specific country. Khan addressed the United States as that country in his televised statement on Thursday, which could have been a slip of the tongue.
Khan said in his speech that the campaign to remove him was a “foreign conspiracy” funded by a Western government displeased with his travel to Moscow to meet Putin last month. On the day Russian soldiers invaded Ukraine, Khan was in Moscow and met with Putin. Khan did not name the suspected conspiring nation outright. He suggested the United States before correcting himself to “a foreign country” with a smile. He claimed that his government had a “official document” that proved the conspiracy.
“We would forgive Pakistan if Imran Khan loses the no-confidence vote, according to the paper. However, if it fails, Pakistan will face a difficult period “According to Reuters, Khan stated. Khan called a meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC) before his address to consider the document, which was characterized as “a formal communication from a high official of a foreign country to Pakistan’s Ambassador in that country in a formal meeting.” The NSC meeting voiced great worry over the communication, according to an official statement released following the meeting. According to the NSC statement, the committee concluded that the letter constituted to “blatant interference” in Pakistan’s domestic affairs, and that Pakistan will issue a stern demarche to the country.
The claim stems from a US official allegedly informing Pakistan’s envoy in Washington, Asad Majeed, that if Khan wins the election, there could be major consequences for US-Pakistan relations. The message was delivered to Islamabad via a diplomatic cable, which the prime minister is now using to back up his assertion that a foreign power is attempting to destabilize his government. The no-confidence resolution against Khan will be voted on on Sunday. Due to defections in his party and desertions by friends, the prime minister’s position is considered as weakened.
Pakistan’s top civil-military body, the National Security Committee, slammed the US message as “undiplomatic” and “blatant involvement in Pakistan’s internal affairs.” It decided to file a protest with the US over the matter.