Pak PM Imran Khan's 'foreign conspiracy' claim busted as US denies sending 'secret letter'

In another embarrassment for Imran Khan, the US outrightly denied sending any specific message to Pakistan's former envoy Asad Majeed Khan regarding the political situation in Pakistan. Facing a tough test of survival in the no-confidence motion, Khan first talked about the 'foreign conspiracy' to dislodge his government. At his massive rally at Islamabad on March 27, he waved a letter as proof. On the occasion, he also hinted that former PM and PML(N) supremo Nawaz Sharif was a part of this plot and that he was holding secret meetings in London.

After the opposition questioned the authenticity of his claims, Khan showed the 'secret letter' to his Cabinet members and allies, and gave a gist of the same to select journalists on Wednesday.

However, while responding to a question from Pakistani publication Dawn regarding this letter and the country's involvement in a no-confidence motion against the Pakistan PM, a US State Department spokesperson said, "there is no truth to these allegations".

Earlier, Pakistan's I&B Minister Fawad Chaudhry expressed the government's intention to present the letter to MPs in an in-camera session.

What is the 'secret letter'?

As per reports, the letter referred to by Imran Khan was based on a telegram sent by former Pakistan's envoy to the US, Asad Majeed Khan, to Islamabad on March 7. The latter, who has been replaced by Ambassador Masood Khan, shared details about his meeting with a senior US official.

In the media briefing held a day earlier, the 1992 World Cup-winning captain did not specifically name the US but revealed that the official of a country had expressed displeasure with Pakistan's stance on the Russia-Ukraine war.

It is pertinent to note that Islamabad-based Western diplomats had issued a statement on March 1, urging the PTI-led government to condemn the Russian attack on Ukraine and support the UNGA resolution in this regard.

The official of the unnamed country also contended that the decision to visit Russia on the eve of the invasion was Imran Khan's call and not that of the military establishment. The letter also quoted him as saying, "A vote of confidence is coming and if that succeeds all mistakes of Pakistan will be forgiven, otherwise, Pakistan has to face dire consequences". 

Speaking at a government event on Wednesday, Imran Khan said, "No-confidence vote is a legitimate democratic method. This crisis is a foreign-imported crisis. This is a conspiracy against Pakistan from abroad. This conspiracy has started since people started controlling Pakistan via one telephonic call. They would demand things from us on one telephone call against our national interest. Those people are not used to having leadership in Pakistan that takes decisions in the national interest."