TEHRAN — Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan, who was able to retain powerafter a no-confidence motion against him was rejected on Sunday, hasrevealed that U.S. diplomat Donald Lu was part of an alleged conspiracy todestabilize his government.
Khan escaped the opposition’s attempt to depose him as the NationalAssembly deputy speaker rejected a no-confidence motion against him,claiming it was a “foreign plot.”
Addressing a meeting of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leaders after the NationalAssembly Deputy Speaker rejected the no-trust motion citing nationalsecurity, he said that during the National Security Committee’s meeting,the country’s highest security body, it was also noted that a foreigninterference in the country’s internal politics was made via ano-confidence motion.
Following that, Khan claimed that Donald Lu, the top American official incharge of South Asia at the U.S. State Department, was implicated in thepurported plot to destabilize his government.
Khan alleged that Lu threatened Pakistan’s envoy to the U.S., Asad Majeed,that if Pakistan’s Prime Minister survived the no-trust vote in theNational Assembly, there would be consequences.
He stated that minutes of a meeting between Pakistan’s ambassador in theU.S. and U.S. officials were disclosed during the National Security Councilmeeting.
The AFP news agency quoted Khan as saying, “A plan was perpetrated outsidePakistan to interfere in internal politics of the country, and when thehighest national security body acknowledged it, it became meaningless as tohow many numbers the opposition had in the assembly.”
According to him, the embassy authorities of the stated country were alsoin contact with the PTI members who had defected.
Khan called the no-confidence vote against him a “foreign conspiracy,” andhe thanked God that it was defeated.
Referring to his declaration earlier in the day, the prime minister statedthat the opposition was in shock and didn’t know what had happened to them.
In response to Khan’s remarks, White House Director of Communications KateBedingfield dismissed claims that Washington was involved in the allegedconspiracy.
“That claim is completely false,” Bedingfield told reporters.
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However, in a recent video footage of Lu testifying in the U.S. Congress,he admits that he approached Pakistani officials as Pakistan abstained tovote against Russian aggression against Ukraine.
In the footage, Lu says, “Prime Minister Khan has recently visited Moscow,so, I think, we are trying to figure out how to engage specifically withthe Prime Minister following that decision.”
Interestingly, Sri Lanka which also abstained from voting is now facing“financial crisis.” It all comes together when you put the pieces of thepuzzle together. Lu approached the Sri Lankan ambassador in Washington overthe phone at 6:00 a.m., trying to convince them to vote for the UNresolution condemning Russia.
*Who is Lu?*
Lu is a Foreign Service officer with over 30 years of experience in theU.S. government. From 2010 to 2013, he was the deputy head of mission inIndia.
As the Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, Lu is thehighest-ranking U.S. diplomat in the region. He is a former U.S. ambassadorto Kyrgyzstan and Albania, and he has twice served at the U.S. embassy inNew Delhi.
In September of last year, Lu was named assistant secretary of state forSouth and Central Asian affairs.
Losing its allies, Washington is seeking to punish “unfaithful” friends,but Pakistan will prevail. Washington’s oldschool tricks can’t fool thesmart people of Pakistan.
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