Leaked Pakistani cable exposes US role in ex-PM Imran Khan's ouster

A bombshell leak of a top-secret diplomatic cable has thrust former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s "foreign conspiracy" claims back into the spotlight, reviving questions over Washington’s role in his ouster from power.

Investigative outlet Drop Site published the original document, known as a cypher, at the centre of the cricketer-turned-politician’s claims of US-backed regime change in Pakistan. The document, identified as cable I-0678, records a meeting between Pakistan’s then-ambassador to Washington and senior US State Department official Donald Lu shortly before Imran Khan lost a no-confidence vote in April 2022.

Imran Khan had repeatedly claimed that the US worked behind the scenes to remove him because of his independent foreign policy and refusal to fully align with it against Russia and China. Washington has denied the allegations, saying there was "no truth" to the claims and that Khan never produced evidence proving foreign involvement.

Khan also accused Pakistan’s dynastic political parties -- Pakistan Muslim League-N and Pakistan Peoples Party -- of working with foreign powers to topple his government. Both parties rejected the allegations and maintained that Khan’s removal was constitutional and driven by domestic political failures.

The no-confidence vote marked the first time a Pakistani Prime Minister had been ousted through such a process. A year later, he was convicted in a corruption case and jailed. Khan has since remained incarcerated.

Now, the release of the cable by the Drop Site is being viewed by Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, and his supporters as the strongest public backing yet for the allegations of foreign pressure that have dominated Pakistani politics for more than four years.

The phrase "all will be forgiven", allegedly used during the conversation, is especially telling. It was a not-so-subtle signal that the ouster and jailing of Imran Khan would enable closer ties between Pakistan and the US.

Pakistan has long been viewed as a pariah state due to military coups, political and economic instability, and support for proscribed terrorist groups. During his first term, US President Donald Trump denied Pakistan military aid, saying that it was not doing enough to combat terrorism.

According to the document, Donald Lu suggested that relations between Islamabad and Washington could improve if Imran Khan were removed through the parliamentary vote. The cable also reportedly mentioned that Pakistan could face "isolation" from both the US and Europe if Khan survived the challenge.

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