Authorities see no evidence of ‘foreign plot’ against PM

Threat assessment based on 'diplomatic cable' sent by Pak envoy

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan's relevant authorities have seen no evidence yet that there is an international conspiracy to oust Prime Minister Imran Khan through a vote of no-confidence motion moved by the opposition parties, two sources who deal with the subject told The Express Tribune.

Reliable sources have also now confirmed that there was no letter written by any country and the prime minister’s claim was based on a “diplomatic cable” sent by the Pakistani ambassador in Washington to the foreign minister in Islamabad. The Foreign Office and government, however, did not confirm or provide details if it was a diplomatic cable or a letter written by any country.

The controversy arose after Premier Imran, in his speech at a public rally on Sunday, claimed that there was a "foreign-funded plot" being hatched against his government. He showed a letter, but without divulging its contents, as evidence of the existence of the conspiracy aimed at toppling his government. Imran insisted that efforts were being made to seek his ouster since he pursued an "independent" foreign policy.

Since his revelations, many questions are being asked including whether the letter was written by any country or was it an internal assessment shared by one of the foreign diplomatic missions of Pakistan.
The Express Tribune sent a questionnaire to the FO spokesperson asking all the relevant queries but he offered no comments.

The "threatening letter" was also shared with the military leadership, according to Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi. But relevant quarters revealed that they had "no knowledge" of any such plot and neither did they see any evidence.

One source, whose department deals with external threats, said if there had been an imminent threat, certain actions would have been taken by now. But there was no "unusual movement" nor any other action taken by the concerned authorities against the backdrop of the purported foreign-funded plot.

Another source added that if the threat was so serious, why the National Security Committee (NSC) meeting was not called immediately. It is believed that the concerned quarters and some officials in the FO were upset that even if there was a certain plot, the premier should have taken up the issue at the relevant forums instead of raising the subject in public.

The prime minister, under oath, is not allowed to divulge details in public that have been shared with him as the country's chief executive. Some say his effort to raise the issue in public is tantamount to violating his oath of office.

Federal Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry was sent the following questions for clarity: 1) When did the government receive the threat, when the threat was shared with the military leadership and what was their response? 2) Why the PM did not convene the meeting of the National Security Committee on the issue? 3) What action the government has taken after the threatening letter, has any demarche been issued to the ambassador of the country which wrote that letter or where did the threat emanate from?

The minister did not respond to the questions till the filing of this story.
All this is happening as Imran is facing a no-confidence move from the opposition. The opposition parties have dismissed the premier’s allegations of an international plot as an attempt to cover up his failures.

Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif asked the PM to share the letter before parliament and offered his support to Imran if the threat was genuine.

But the prime minister in his speech on March 27, refused to share further details citing the country's national interests.