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US Diplomat Denies Allegations of Plot to Oust Pakistan's Imran Khan
A high-ranking US diplomat responsible for South and Central Asian affairs has publicly addressed, for the first time, accusations of a scheme to remove Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan in 2022. Donald Lewis, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, refuted these claims during his testimony before the House Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday. He categorically denied any involvement by himself or the U.S. government in Imran Khan’s removal. News from VOA bangla
In response to a query from committee chairman Joe Wilson, a Republican representative from South Carolina, Lewis stated, “This allegation, this conspiracy theory is false. It is a complete lie.” Imran Khan was ousted from power through a no-confidence vote in Parliament in April 2022. Subsequently, Imran Khan asserted that a confidential diplomatic communication purportedly sent by Pakistan’s then U.S.-appointed envoy, Asad Majeed Khan, evidenced a collusion between the U.S. and Pakistan’s military and opposition figures to depose him. This communication allegedly referenced a meeting with Lewis in Washington on March 7, 2022.
Last August, “The Intercept,” an American news agency, published what it claimed to be the contents of that communication. As per Ambassador Asad Majid Khan, officials from the Foreign Office at that meeting urged him to inform Pakistan’s influential military that Islamabad could anticipate improved relations with the United States should Imran Khan be ousted due to concerns regarding his neutrality regarding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Imran Khan had not condemned the attack, as he was in Moscow meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the day the invasion commenced. The document quoted Lewis as saying, “I think Washington will forgive everything if the no-confidence vote against the prime minister is successful because the Russia visit is seen as the prime minister’s decision…Otherwise, I think, it will be difficult to move forward.”
Despite consistent denials by the U.S. State Department regarding any plot to remove Imran Khan, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller conceded last year that the Biden administration was displeased with Imran Khan’s support for Russia. Pakistan’s military and Imran Khan’s adversaries have dismissed his accusations. Lewis dismissed reports of diplomatic cables in Pakistani media as false. He highlighted that former Pakistani ambassador Majid Khan had assured his government that there was no U.S. conspiracy to depose the prime minister.
Lewis informed the committee that following Imran Khan’s removal, he had received numerous death threats and his family had been endangered due to “unfounded allegations.” Referring to claims of irregularities in Pakistan’s February 8 general election, Lewis stated that the Biden administration had consistently urged Pakistani authorities to investigate. “As partners of Pakistan, we have called for transparent elections and the accountability of those responsible for irregularities,” he emphasized. The United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union have urged Pakistan to probe the alleged irregularities.
