Daily Times

Prime Minister Imran Khan Wednesday said a Pakistani envoy posted in a foreign country wrote the memo that he flashed on March 27 in a rally and termed it “threatening”.

In an interaction with senior journalists in Islamabad in which the content of the letter was shared [with them], Imran said the envoy had sent the letter to Pakistan after he met an official of a foreign country, says a news report quoting sources.

Imran said the memo was shared with the military leadership and mentioned that the tone used in the cable was “threatening”. The prime minister said the memo would be shared with parliamentarians during an in-camera session, but noted that the name of the country that “threatened” Pakistan could not be shared, as the national security laws were applicable.

Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives Asad Umar, who attended the briefing, told journalists that the memo mentioned that if the no-confidence motion passes, everything will be forgiven for Pakistan.

Umar further said the letter mentioned that “in case of its failure, the problems for Pakistan will increase.”

In his March 27 address to a PTI rally, the prime minister had revealed that “foreign elements” were involved in attempts to topple his government and said, “some of our own people” are being used in this regard.

In a press conference on Tuesday, Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives Asad Umar had said that PML-N Quaid Muhammad Nawaz Sharif had joined hands with foreign powers and was involved in the “conspiracy” against PM Imran Khan.

Nawaz Sharif is in London and he has met officials from the “intelligence agencies of other countries”. The federal minister said the Pakistan Democratic Movement’s (PDM) leadership was not “unaware” of the letter. The letter was waived by PM Imran Khan in a public rally as he faces a no-confidence motion in the National Assembly.

Addressing a ceremony in connection with the launch of e-passport facility in Islamabad earlier in the day, the prime minister announced that he would show the letter to senior journalists and government allies. The development came hours after it became apparent that the MQM-P had decided to side with the joint opposition in the no-trust motion against the prime minister, which would translate into the PTI government losing its majority in the National Assembly.

The prime minister touched upon the current political crisis in the country, stating that this was “nothing new” in a parliamentary democracy.

“People lose confidence in their party,” he said, adding that no-confidence motion was a “democratic” move.

“But this is a foreign imported conspiracy and it started when people from abroad started controlling Pakistan through telephone calls. They cannot tolerate a leadership that works in the people’s interest.”

Reiterating his criticism of America’s ‘war on terror’, Imran said Pakistan had paid a heavy price for its participation. He said many were unaware of the exact scale of suffering of those living in the country’s tribal areas.

“We sacrificed our interests for those abroad but they never valued it,” he said. “We want to protect the nation and can’t divulge the details in public. People think this is a joke and I have decided to share it with top journalists,” Imran said, adding that he would also call one member from each allied party to show them the “document and prove that it is real”.