No foreign conspiracy: Pakistan dismisses Imran Khan's claim

Pakistan's National Security Committee (NSC) on Friday said that there was no foreign conspiracy to topple the Imran Khan-led government, according to a statement released after the body met.

"The NSC discussed the telegram received from the Pakistan embassy in Washington. Pakistan's former ambassador to the US briefed the committee on the context and content of his telegram," it stated, reports DAWN.

The meeting of the NSC, which is the highest forum for coordination on security issues, was chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

It was attended by former Pakistan ambassador to the United States Asad Majeed, Chairman Joint Chief of Staff Committee General Nadeem Raza, Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmad Babar and senior civil and military officers.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar were also in attendance.

According to the statement, the NSC examined the "contents of the communication" shared by the ambassador and "reaffirmed the decisions of the last NSC meeting".

"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".

The statement by the NSC comes as former prime minister and PTI Chairman Imran Khan has launched a campaign, claiming a "foreign conspiracy" to be behind his ouster.

This is the second time in as many months that the forum has held a meeting to review the contents of the "threat letter" which purportedly contains evidence of a foreign conspiracy to oust the former government.

It is interesting to note that the NSC on Friday reaffirmed the decisions of the last meeting that was chaired by ex-PM Imran.

In March, the NSC had decided to issue a "strong demarche" to a country, that it did not name, over the "threat letter". While the forum had stopped short of explicitly calling it a conspiracy, it had also not denied it and instead termed it "blatant interference in the internal affairs of Pakistan".

The NSC — which was briefed about the "formal communication of a senior official of a foreign country" to Pakistan's ambassador in that country — had also termed the interference "unacceptable under any circumstances".

Earlier this month, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General (DG) Major General Babar Iftikhar categorically said that the word "conspiracy" was not used in the statement issued after March's NSC meeting.

"As far as military response about the NSC meeting is considered, that stance, in that meeting was fully given, and then a statement was issued ... which clearly says what was concluded in that meeting.

"The words used are in front of you ... as I said ... the words used are clear. Is there any word such as conspiracy used in it? I think not," he had said in response to a question asked by a journalist.

The DG ISPR had also said that issuance of demarches was not specific to the hatching of conspiracies but could also be given for other reasons. "In this case, it was given for undiplomatic language and is equal to interference," he had said.

Cablegate

Ever since he was ousted by the opposition through a no-confidence vote in the National Assembly, Imran had dismissed the Shehbaz government calling it "imported". The former PM and his linked the purported threat with the no-trust move against him in the National Assembly that led to his ouster from the top office.

The "threat letter" first emerged at a public rally on March 27. Imran said it carried details of the ambassador's meeting with Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Affairs Donald Lu in which the latter allegedly threatened Pakistan.

Majeed, in the cable, reportedly said Lu warned that Imran's continuation as the prime minister would have repercussions for bilateral relations. The US, Imran claimed, was annoyed with his "independent foreign policy" and visit to Moscow.