Imran Khan was the target of US influence in Pakistan, according to a new “Cipher” report

According to a secret Pakistani government memo obtained by the US-based magazine The Intercept, the US allegedly pushed the Pakistani establishment to depose Imran Khan because of his apparent impartiality in the Ukraine crisis.

Asad Majeed Khan, the former Pakistani ambassador to the United States, met with two State Department representatives, including Donald Lu, the Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, on March 7, 2022. Two weeks had passed since the Russian invasion of Ukraine when Khan traveled to Moscow for this meeting.

Following Imran Khan’s removal by a vote of no confidence in April of last year, the conversation over the previously undisclosed cable has sparked controversy throughout Pakistan for more than a year. The PTI leader has said again and time again that Washington was trying to depose him.

In addition, the leaked communication from the Pakistani government reveals US support for Khan’s removal and offers incentives for improving relations with the Biden administration. The cable, marked “Secret,” details conversations between State Department representatives and Pakistan’s previous ambassador, offering insight on the complex dynamics of these events that have dominated Pakistani politics ever since.

According to the memo, Donald Lu voiced Washington’s irritation with Pakistan’s position on the crisis at the discussion. According to Lu, who was referenced in the paper, Pakistan’s seeming impartial stance toward Ukraine has raised worries in both the US and Europe.

A no-confidence vote was then specifically brought up by Lu, who said, “I believe that if the no-confidence vote against the Prime Minister succeeds, everything will be forgiven in Washington due to the perception that the Russia visit was a decision made by the Prime Minister.” Otherwise,” Lu emphasized, “I predict difficult times ahead,” he concluded.

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller responded to a question about the latest cipher’s release during a daily briefing by saying, “We had expressed concern about the visit of then-PM Khan to Moscow on the day of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and have communicated that opposition both publicly and privately.”

“Allegations that the United States interfered in internal Pakistani leadership decisions are false,” Miller said. They have been fake for a long time and still are.

The publication of the study has reignited accusations that the US meddled in Pakistani politics, which Imran Khan repeated after being ousted. This occurs on the same day as the lower house of parliament was dissolved by the president of Pakistan, indicating the beginning of preparations for general elections by mid-November.

This event is related to Imran Khan’s continuing court struggle, in which he is attempting to get a corruption verdict that sentenced him to a high-security institution last weekend overturned.