Donald Lu, the Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia, has categorically refuted claims that he or the United States played any part in the vote of no confidence against the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan. This denial was made during a subcommittee meeting at the State Department in Washington DC. A hearing was convened on the subject of “Elections, Democracy, and US-Pakistan Relations in this context”. As Donald Lu heads the South and Central Asia Bureau, he was summoned as a witness.
In his testimony, Lu dismissed as false the accusation of an American conspiracy via Cypher. This sentiment was echoed by Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States, Asad Majeed. Lu further clarified that there was no plot to topple the government, emphasizing the United States’ respect for Pakistan’s sovereignty and the democratic rights of its citizens.
This statement from Lu was made against the backdrop of the Cypher case, which commenced in March 2022. In that month, the founder of a particular political party brandished a letter at a rally, claiming to have evidence of an international conspiracy to overthrow their government. Even after being ousted from the Prime Minister’s office in April 2022, they maintained that the United States was implicated in their dismissal.
- Qasim Suri, the former Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, announced on April 11, 2022, that he was sending the contentious letter to the Chief Justice of Pakistan in a sealed envelope. As the guardian of the House, he declared his decision to reject the no-confidence motion against the government.
- In September 2022, several audio recordings of notable politicians were leaked. One such recording featured a conversation between Imran Khan and the then Principal Secretary, Azam Khan, in which Khan was heard instructing to amplify this threat and transform it into a foreign conspiracy aimed at destabilizing his government.
In August 2023, the Federal Investigation Agency filed the first FIR against the founder of PTI and his deputy, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, under the Official Secret Act. After considering the arguments from both sides, the court sentenced Imran Khan and Shah Mehmood Qureshi to ten years in prison on January 30, 2024.
On March 20, while addressing allegations of involvement in Cypher embezzlement during a congressional hearing in Washington, Lu rejected the PTI founder’s claims. He stated that he had received death threats due to the false allegations of a conspiracy to overthrow the government.
The time has now come to question the founder of PTI and his supporters as to why a conspiracy was orchestrated to defame the country’s institutions based on a false statement for the past two years. What were its motives? Furthermore, why was an incident akin to May 9 instigated, causing unrest among the people? This false statement has led to economic and political instability in the country.
There is a growing demand in public circles for transparency regarding the role of PTI and others in the Cypher case. It is imperative that those involved be brought to justice to deter anyone from meddling with sensitive matters in the future.
