By Shakir Husain
NEW DELHI, April 1 (NNN-Bernama) — Pakistan’s National Security Committee (NSC) has lambasted foreign interference in the country’s affairs after Prime Minister Imran Khan disclosed that an unnamed nation had sent threatening messages to his government.
Imran on Thursday chaired a meeting of the committee, which includes the military top brass and key ministers, where the matter was discussed in detail.
“The committee decided that Pakistan will issue a strong demarche to the country in question both in Islamabad and in the country’s capital through proper channel in keeping with diplomatic norms,” the Pakistan Prime Minister’s Office said.
It said National Security Adviser Moeed Yusuf briefed the committee on the threatening messages received during “the formal communication of a senior official of a foreign country to Pakistan’s ambassador in the said country in a formal meeting.”
The NSC “concluded that the communication amounted to blatant interference in the internal affairs of Pakistan by the country in question.”
Neither Imran nor the Pakistan government has revealed which country is behind the meddling, but the media has made references to the United States, a country with which Pakistan has had a chequered relationship.
Curiously, Imran during a televised address to the nation on Thursday evening appeared to make a slip of the tongue by saying the message was from “America”.
He immediately corrected himself with a smile, saying “not America… I mean some country.”
The 69-year-old leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, whose government will face a no-confidence motion in Parliament on Sunday, has blamed the opposition campaign against him as a foreign-driven conspiracy.
“There was a precondition set by a powerful country, which was well informed about the vote of no-confidence, that if I remain in office there would be consequences, and if I am removed, then all would be forgiven,” Imran said.
“I will not let this conspiracy succeed under any circumstances,” the prime minister said in his address.
He has rejected opposition calls for him to resign, vowing to fight “till the very last.”
Imran in his recent public statements has said Western countries want to coerce Pakistan to align its policies with them on major issues, including the Russia-Ukraine war.
Notably, the Pakistan prime minister was in Moscow on an official visit just when Russia began its military action in Ukraine in February.
After his return, Imran announced that Pakistan would import wheat and natural gas from Russia.
Both Pakistan and Russia are also working with China and other neighbouring countries to stabilise the situation in Afghanistan since last year’s US troop withdrawal.
During Thursday’s televised address Imran said his Moscow visit was not a personal decision but had the backing of the Foreign Office and Pakistan’s military leadership.
— NNN-BERNAMA