Continuing with his tactics despite his ouster, Imran Khan and his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), have reached the Supreme Court with the “lettergate controversy”, even as new Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif started his first day in office.
The confidential internal note accessed by CNN-News18 showed that the alleged “threat letter” has been sent to Supreme Court.
Khan has repeatedly alleged a “foreign conspiracy” and a “threat letter” behind the no-trust vote against him. The United States has rubbished all claims.
The note sent to the Chief Justice of Pakistan states: “As directed by the Acting Speaker, National Assembly of Pakistan, a confidential letter (in original) received from the Cabinet Secretary which was submitted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Govt of Pakistan (Cypher Bureau) to the Hon. Speaker is onward submitted for kind perusal of the Hon. Chief Justice of Pakistan.”
Meanwhile, Qasim Suri, former deputy speaker of National Assembly who rubbished the no-trust motion earlier on Khan’s recommendation, has demanded a commission like Memo-gate, said sources.
He has used his constitutional benefit to move the letter, as he is the acting speaker till the election of a new Speaker and Deputy Speaker on April 16, said sources.
CNN-News18 had earlier reported that Khan wanted a Judicial Commission to be formed for the probe into the “threat letter”.
THE LETTER
Khan, in his address to Pakistanis on March 31, while making a somewhat deliberate attempt at faking a slip of tongue, said: “On March 8 or before that on March 7, the US sent us a – not the US but a foreign country sent us a message. The reason why I am talking about this, for an independent country to receive such a message, is against me and the country…It stated that if the no-confidence motion is passed, Pakistan will be forgiven, if not, there will be consequences.” He said that the letter was sent to the Pakistan ministry of external affairs.
The White House director of communications Kate Bedingeld had then said there was no truth to the allegation.
Khan had also named US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu as the person who has allegedly “warned” a Pakistan envoy to the US, as they had issues with his foreign policy, especially his visit to Russia and the stance on the ongoing war in Ukraine.
The cable was reportedly sent on March 7, a day before the Opposition submitted the no-confidence motion and requisitioned a National Assembly session for voting on it. Meanwhile, Dawn newspaper had reported that the cable was sent by Pakistan’s then ambassador to United States Asad Majeed based on his meeting with Lu.
A US State Department spokesperson had said: “There is no truth to these allegations.”
According to some diplomatic sources in Washington, the letter could be a diplomatic cable from Washington, drafted by a senior Pakistani diplomat.
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