Imran terms no-trust a foreign conspiracy

PM shows secret letter to federal ministers, journalists

ISLAMABAD:

Prime Minister Imran Khan termed on Wednesday the opposition’s no-confidence motion against him a “huge foreign conspiracy against Pakistan” but emphasised that he could not name the country which sent the ‘threatening letter’ because its results would not be good for the country.

The prime minister said that the letter stated that Pakistan would face serious consequences if the no-confidence motion failed, adding that the language of the letter was extremely harsh and that the no-trust motion had been mentioned in it several times.

The details about prime minister’s remarks emerged after he convened an urgent meeting of federal cabinet to discuss the issue of international conspiracy to topple his government through a secret letter that he waved in his public rally in Islamabad on March 27.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Imran in his speech at the public rally claimed that there was a “foreign-funded plot” being hatched against his government. He showed a letter as evidence of the existence of the conspiracy aimed at toppling his government. However, he did not divulge the letter’s contents.

The prime minister had invited the heads of the allied parties to attend the meeting on Wednesday but the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) and the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) leaders excused on the grounds that they were busy with other things.

Also read: IHC expects PM will not make content of 'threat letter' public

The prime minister shared the contents of the letter with his cabinet ministers and with the journalists in separate meetings. In the cabinet meeting the letter was shown to the ministers on teleprompter. Afterwards it was sealed under the Official Secrecy Act.

According to sources, the letter had been sent by former Pakistani ambassador to the United States, Asad Majeed. It was sent after talks with the US assistant secretary of state for South Asia, the sources added.

Imran told the cabinet that he was doing politics of national interest rather than his own person. He told the ministers that the letter was closely linked to the no-confidence motion. Imran said that he would fight till the last ball and drive the opposition out of the ground. He said that the people are with him.

Imran, according to the sources, also said that attempts were being made to overthrow the elected government under a foreign conspiracy. The prime minister told the ministers that the military leadership would also be taken into confidence on the letter.

The cabinet assured the prime minister of its full support. It was suggested that an in-camera session of the National Security Committee should be convened, which would be addressed either by the prime minister himself or by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.

Read more: Resignation not an option, PM will ‘fight till last ball’: Fawad

Hours later, National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser tweeted: “If the Parliamentary leaders from Government and Opposition side agree, the issue of the sensitive letter can be discussed at in camera meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security.”

If the Parliamentry leaders from Government and Opposition side agree, the issue of the sensitive letter can be discussed at in camera meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security.

— Asad Qaiser (@AsadQaiserPTI) March 30, 2022

Following the meeting with the journalists, an anchorperson said that Planning Minister Asad Umar shared some details and showed the letter from a distance. The anchorperson revealed that tears welled up in the eyes of several ministers, when they heard about the contents of the secret letter.

A participant of the meeting said that it was clearly stated in the letter that the country concerned was not happy with the policies of the government. In case the no-confidence motion succeeded, the sender country would forgive everything, otherwise, he said, there would be difficult days ahead.

Earlier in the day, Imran, while speaking during a ceremony to launch the e-passport facility in Islamabad, said that the no-confidence motion was a “democratic” right in a parliamentary democracy but the current no-trust move was “funded by foreign powers”.

Imran said that foreign powers could not accept leadership that worked for the people of Pakistan. He criticised the United States’ war against terrorism, saying that Pakistan “sacrificed its interest” for foreign powers but they never “valued” its sacrifices.

Also read: Opposition urges PM Imran to resign as PTI loses majority in NA

It was in that ceremony that Imran said he would show the letter to senior journalists and allied parties to show that it was real. “People think this is a drama going on. This is not a drama. We just wanted to protect our national interest and that is why we cannot disclose who has threatened us,” he said.

Separately, the prime minister postponed his address to the nation. Earlier in the day, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said that the prime minister would address the nation in the evening. However, Senator Faisal Javed Khan shared in the evening that the address was postponed.