US-based news outlet The Intercept has published reports claiming access to official documents that hint that the US State Department encouraged the Pakistani government to remove Imran Khan. The report says the US threatened Pakistan with isolation if Khan continued as PM.
The news agency said the classified Pakistani government document was provided to it by an anonymous source in the Pakistani military who claimed to have no ties to Imran Khan or his party.
Overview
The report says that the document, labelled “Secret,” includes an account of the meeting between State Department officials, including Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu, and Asad Majeed Khan, then the Pakistani ambassador to the US.
The Intercept has claimed that the text of the Pakistani cable from the meeting had not been published earlier.
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This cable, known as “cypher,” internally reveals the tactics used by the US in pushing for Khan’s removal.
The Intercept reports that Khan was removed from power a month after the meeting following a no-confidence vote in the Parliament.
In the cable, the US objected to Khan’s foreign policy on the Ukraine War. Those positions were quickly reversed after his removal, followed by a warming between the US and Pakistan as promised in the meeting.
US Warns of Isolation
On 2 March, Lu was reportedly questioned by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee about the neutral stance maintained by India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka in the Ukraine conflict. During this meeting, Pakistan’s abstention from voting in a UN resolution condemning Russia’s role in the conflict was discussed.
A day before this, Khan had called out European demands for Pakistan to support it against Russia. The document claims that following this, Lu met the Pakistani diplomat and expressed Washington’s displeasure with Pakistan’s stance.
The diplomatic meeting came two weeks after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which was launched as Khan was en route to Moscow — a visit that reportedly infuriated Washington.
During the meeting, Lu claimed that the stance seems to be the position of the PM and “if the no-confidence movement against him succeeds, all will be forgiven by Washington.”
The document further shows that Lu warned that, if the situation was not resolved, Pakistan would be marginalised by its Western allies.
He added that if Khan remains in office, his country could face isolation from Europe and the US.
Pakistan’s Response
The Pakistani ambassador expressed Pakistani dissatisfaction with the US. He hoped the Russia-Ukraine war would not impact the bilateral relations between Washington and Islamabad.
To this, Lu responded that the issue had already created a dent in the ties, but if the political situation changed (i.e., if Khan were to be removed from power), the two sides would not have a disagreement.
The day after the meeting, on 8 March, Khan’s opponents in parliament moved forward with a key procedural step toward the no-confidence vote.
US Refutes Accusations, Pakistan Calls for Probe
Commenting on the allegations, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said, “Nothing in these purported comments shows the United States taking a position on who the leader of Pakistan should be.”
Miller further said he would not comment on private diplomatic discussions.
Denying the allegations of interfering in Pakistan’s political atmosphere, Miller remarked, “Allegations that the United States interfered in internal decisions about the leadership of Pakistan are false. They have always been false, and they continue to be.”
Meanwhile, as the Pakistani Foreign Office refused to comment on the leak, Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif said that if the alleged reports were true, it was tantamount to a “massive crime.” Outgoing Interior Minister Sanaullah also called for probe into the matter.