The Intercept on Wednesday published a report on a long-rumored Pakistani government document that supports former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s claim that the U.S. government wanted to force him out of office.
Khan was ousted by a parliamentary vote of no confidence in April 2022, about a month after the meeting with U.S. officials described in the classified Pakistani document.
The document reviewed by the Intercept was allegedly a secret diplomatic cable known as a “cypher.” It describes an alleged meeting on March 7, 2022, between U.S. State Department officials and Pakistan’s then-ambassador to the United States, Asad Majeed Khan.
The alleged meeting occurred only two weeks after Russia invaded Ukraine and the invasion was a allegedly major topic of discussion, as the State Department officials, according to the Intercept, made it very clear to Ambassador Khan that Washington was not satisfied with Prime Minister Imran Khan’s neutral position on the conflict.
Imran Khan made his distaste with what he perceived to be pressure from America to denounce Russia for attacking Ukraine very public.
“Are we your slaves? What do you think of us? That we are your slaves and that we will do whatever you ask of us?” he bellowed at a rally on March 6.
“We are friends of Russia, and we are also friends of the United States. We are friends of China and Europe. We are not part of any alliance,” Khan insisted.
The State Department officials, particularly Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu, allegedly told Ambassador Khan in no uncertain terms that the prime minister’s position was unacceptable, and said it would be best for all concerned if the no-confidence vote brewing against Imran Khan were to succeed:
In the meeting, according to the document, Lu spoke in forthright terms about Washington’s displeasure with Pakistan’s stance in the conflict. The document quotes Lu saying that “people…