While the nation was on tenterhooks waiting for parliament to vote on the vote of no-confidence, Imran Khan, the prime minister [now former] said on Saturday that his cabinet had decided to share the “threatening letter” from the US with the chief justice of Pakistan, Senate’s chairman and National Assembly’s speaker.
It was the last interaction of Khan with senior journalists and Youtubers before his departure from the Prime Minister House. And those who attended the meeting said Khan was defiant and undeterred. The purported letter he was referring to is said to be a diplomatic cable – and hence not a threatening letter, per se.
Khan claims that the opposition’s move to topple his government has been orchestrated by the United States through a conspiracy because he had sought to pursue an independent foreign policy.
Also read: Cabinet okays commission to probe ‘foreign conspiracy’
“We see a pattern here. The opposition is doing all this [no-confidence motion against the PM] as part of the plan [to topple the govt]... they will not even accept this letter,” Khan told the journalists.
“We had a cabinet meeting today in which it was decided to selectively share the letter,” he added. “We cannot publish it but we want to bring it on record and that is why we're sending it to the chief justice of Pakistan, Senate’s chairman and National Assembly’s speaker.”
The PTI government also sought to form a high-powered commission to investigate the letter, but a retired army general who was named to head the commission refused to take up the task. Khan feared that the opposition might conduct some sort of investigation and dismiss the letter as fabricated.
Khan has already called upon his supporters to stage nationwide protests against what he called the “imported government” which will succeed him. “People will come out in big numbers after Isha prayers today (Sunday),” he said.
“Say_no_to_imported_govt” was the top trend on Twitter in Pakistan which garnered more than 2.3 million tweets. “I’ve never seen such a public response and change in public opinion. People are aware and we have seen a great impact,” Khan said – perhaps in reference to the Twitter trend.
“They [opposition] do not realise that they cannot control public opinion any longer. Social media has changed everything,” he added. Khan refused to give in to what he calls the “cabal of thieves” and resign, saying that he would "fight till the last ball”.
Rumours were rife on social media that Khan might replace army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa in his last desperate attempt before his ouster. But he clarified that there were no transfers and “postings being done or being contemplated in the army at the moment”.
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