Embattled Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan is likely to move the country’s Supreme Court seeking the setting up of a commission to probe the ‘threat letter’ that purportedly shows evidence of a foreign conspiracy to oust his government.
Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led government earlier this week confirmed that its allegation about a foreign conspiracy was based on a diplomatic cable received from one of the country’s missions abroad. In a televised address on Thursday, in an apparent slip of tongue, Imran Khan named the United States as the country behind the ‘threat letter’.
“We got a message from America oh, not America, I mean a foreign country I can’t name,” Khan said in the live televised address. “They say they are angry with Pakistan… They say they will forgive Pakistan if Imran Khan loses a no-trust motion. But if the vote fails, Pakistan will have to face serious consequences,” Khan said, citing the text of the alleged memo.
“The letter stated that the no-confidence motion was being tabled even before it was filed, which means the opposition was in contact with them,” Khan had alleged.
At a massive public meeting held last Sunday in Islamabad, Khan had pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and waved it at the crowd, claiming it was evidence of an international conspiracy being hatched to topple his government.
Khan, 69, said the memo was against him, not against the government. “…it stated that if the no-confidence motion passes, Pakistan will be forgiven, if not, there will be consequences.” He stated that it was an “official letter” that was communicated to Pakistan’s ambassador, who was taking notes during the meeting.
Sources told News18, that the PTI government, staring at a bleak trust vote, wants to make the purported letter a security issue. The party has called on its supporters to come to the streets on Sunday to stage protests against it.
The US has dismissed Khan’s allegations. “We are closely following developments in Pakistan. We respect, we support Pakistan’s constitutional process and the rule of law,” State Department Spokesperson Ned Price told reporters at his daily news conference on Thursday in Washington. “But when it comes to those allegations, there is no truth to them,” Price said when asked to comment on Khan’s remarks.
But in Islamabad, Pakistan’s Foreign Office summoned US Charge d’ Affaires Angela P Aggeler over the alleged letter. The Foreign Office also handed over a letter of protest to the US diplomat over the language used by a foreign official during a formal communication.
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