Pakistan is the land of conspiracies — assassination of Liaqat Ali Khan, Pindi conspiracy case, hanging of Z.A. Bhutto, separation of East Pakistan, air crash killing Ziaul Haq, murder of Benazir Bhutto, and, now, the no-confidence motion against Imran Khan.
The ongoing political drama has been described by Imran Khan as a war between the forces of good and evil. The combined opposition calls it a struggle for the continuation of democracy. It is, in fact, a power battle fought by political opportunists, fortune seekers and self-appointed guardians of the nation.
Khan is fighting desperately to save his government. Political intrigues and wheeling dealing of all sorts is in full swing in the corridors of power. It appears the opposition has enough votes to end Khan’s hybrid regime. The final outcome of this vicious power struggle will be known on the day of voting. A lot could depend on the Supreme Court ruling on the Presidential Reference on the defection and disqualification clauses of the constitution.
The battle for survival is being fought in the assemblies and in public meetings and street corners of the country. Like many previous leaders who faced the threat of being thrown out of power, Imran Khan, too, is using some dangerous gimmicks to save themselves from falling – like the religion card, a fight between good and evil or between Islam and anti-Islamic forces.
In his speech on March 27 in Islamabad, he whipped out a piece of paper and claimed that there is an international conspiracy to oust him from power because he pursued an independent foreign policy and did not take dictation from foreign powers. He did not disclose the source of the letter. The very next day, at a press conference in Islamabad, Asad Umar and Fawad Chaudhry reiterated Khan’s allegations – and accused Nawaz Sharif of plotting the conspiracy in connivance with some Jewish leaders from Israel.
This is indeed a grave allegation. Instead of referring the matter to the National Security Council and the Parliamentary Committee of National Security, Khan chose to disclose it at a public rally. Such sensational theatrics may not save his sinking ship.
This is indeed a grave allegation. Instead of referring the matter to the National Security Council and the Parliamentary Committee of National Security, Khan chose to disclose it at a public rally. Such sensational theatrics may not save his sinking ship.
The PTI leaders are purporting that the letter authored by a mysterious foreign power and the opposition leaders that are working hand in glove with the foreign powers are the masterminds of the ongoing conspiracy to oust Khan and his government. If, say, the foreign powers were planning such a move against Khan, why would they write a letter to him to inform him of their plan? If there were any truth in such an allegation, the first wise thing to do would be to break diplomatic relations with that power.
According to well-informed sources in Islamabad, the infamous letter is a telegram sent by Pakistan’s ambassador to the US, Asad Majeed Khan. The telegram was received in Islamabad on March 7, a day before the opposition asked for a vote of no-confidence against Imran Khan. The letter is real but the content is unknown. Supposedly, it says that as long as the present government is in power there can be no substantial change in relations between the two countries. It is speculated that this letter contains a message from high-ranking American officials on the conduct of the present government towards the US. It is a diplomatic cable from the Pakistani ambassador based on his interaction with the US authorities. The letter probably has some direct quotes of senior US officials recorded by the ambassador.
Relations between the US and Pakistan have recently shown a downward trend. Former US President Donald Trump had called Imran Khan, “a good friend” and “a great athlete very popular in Pakistan”. However, President Joe Biden does not share the sentiments of his predecessor. He has not called Khan since he assumed the office of prime minster in January 2021. This has set the rumour mill going in overdrive in Islamabad.
Diplomats have been trying to ascertain why Khan has repeatedly criticized Washington in public in recent months. In his interviews with Judy Wordsworth and Jonathan Swan, he criticized the US policies during the War on Terror and their chaotic exit from Afghanistan. The criticism certainly did not please the US policymakers.
This sensational disclosure by Khan about an international conspiracy appears to be nothing but a political gimmick to save his government from the no-confidence move.
