Pakistan cabinet dismisses Imran Khan's foreign conspiracy claim

|HT|

The National Security Committee of the Pakistan cabinet on Friday dismissed former prime minister Imran Khan's claim that there was a foreign conspiracy to topple his government. Friday's meeting was chaired by prime minister Shehbaz Sharif. Ahead of the no-confidence vote in the Pakistan National Assembly which his party lost leading to his ouster, Imran Khan claimed to have received inputs from the former ambassador to the United States saying that the US was not happy with Imran Khan, particularly after his visit to Moscow amid the Russia-Ukraine war. The content of the telegram was again discussed at Friday's meeting and it was concluded that there was no evidence of foreign conspiracy. "The NSC was again informed by the premier security agencies that they have found no evidence of any conspiracy," the statement said, adding that the meeting concluded that "there has been no foreign conspiracy".

Meanwhile, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered tight security for Imran Khan in his public rallies that he has been addressing since his ouster from the government. Apart from the foreign conspiracy, Imran Khan and his party leaders claimed a threat to his life as well.

Imran Khan claimed to have received a cable from former Pakistan's ambassador to US Asad Majeed Khan who was present at Friday's meeting. While the then ambassador indeed sent a cable to Pakistan about an alleged conversation that took place between him and US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu, it is believed that the conversation took place at the farewell lunch of Majeed and did not carry the tone of the threat that Imran Khan claimed.

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