No-trust move not indigenous: Fawad

Information minister says opposition leaders’ involvement in ‘regime-change plot’ cannot be ruled out

ISLAMABAD:

Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said on Thursday there were many reasons to believe that the no-confidence move was not indigenous rather foreign powers were involved, who were bent upon ousting Prime Minister Imran Khan for pursuing an independent foreign policy.

Talking to the media along with Energy Minister Hammad Azhar after a National Security Committee meeting, Chaudhry said that “only some of opposition leaders, and not the entire lot”, were involved in the conspiracy and taking dictations from abroad.

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“We have called some parliamentarians and opposition leaders to show them evidences [of the foreign plot], but their boycott strengthens our stance that some opposition leaders are fully involved in the ‘regime-change conspiracy’,” he said.

“Had the no-confidence motion originated from within the country, the opposition leaders would have showed keenness to attend the in-camera session of parliament proposed by the government the other day,” he noted.

The minister said it was possible that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) dissident members of the National Assembly (MNAs) might not know about the foreign conspiracy and that they might change their minds after seeing the evidence.

“I want to ask them to hold their decisions and attend the [parliamentary] National Security Committee meeting so that they can see the documents confirming that the conspiracy to oust the prime minister has been orchestrated on the desire of international powers,” he added.

Read more: Imran terms no-trust a foreign conspiracy

The minister repeated the allegation that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Nawaz Sharif, along with some media persons, was involved in the conspiracy, which was only aimed at ousting the prime minister from the power.

Referring to Nawaz’s meetings with Indian and Israeli diplomats, Chaudhry said that the conspiracy was hatched in “his London flat on the dictations from somewhere else”. He slammed the specific opposition leaders for their involvement in the conspiracy.

The minister ruled out any possibility of the resignation of the prime minister, saying that Imran Khan would fight till the last ball. “This is not the fight of Imran Khan rather of the nation, the country’s sovereignty and integrity,” he added.

He said, the letter contained a clear warning to change regime in Pakistan and was presented before the NSC for the discussion, adding an in-camera session of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security was called.

The minister also said that more developments on the letter would be shared with the media on Friday (today). Responding to a query, he said the nation stood by the prime minister and fully supported him for the independent foreign policy pursued by his government.

Hammad Azhar said the change of regime would help some foreign powers which wanted to influence the country’s foreign policy. It also seemed from the content of the letter that they wanted to oust Prime Minister Imran, who, they thought, was pursuing the independent foreign policy.

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

The fifth in-camera meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security was held under the chairmanship of National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser on Thursday.

The panel was briefed on a formal communication by a high-level official of a foreign state with the ambassador of Pakistan in the said country, a statement issued by the NA Secretariat said.

According to the briefing, the communication was duly conveyed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by the said envoy.

All the ministers and members from the treasury benches expressed their concern over the language used in the communication as undiplomatic and uncalled for, terming it an interference in the internal affairs and against the sovereignty of Pakistan.

The members criticised the absence of the opposition members from the meeting, though it was called on their insistence.