ISLAMABAD: Fighting for his political survival, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has stoked anti-American rhetoric and doubled down on charges of a foreign conspiracy against him. Experts are divided on whether this last attempt can save him.
As the cricket stalwart-turned-prime minister faces his toughest political challenge since taking office in 2018, an alleged letter left by coalition partners and a no-confidence vote against him has in the past. Week one scam happened. foreign threats to his government
Pakistani officials have since said that the letter was a cable written by a former Pakistani ambassador to the US that was threatened by a “senior foreign official”.
While Khan himself did not mention the country from which he had come for several days, he named America during a televised address to the nation on Thursday. He then tied the charges to his visit to Moscow in late February, saying that a “powerful” country was outraged by meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin on the day Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine.
As the US State Department and White House have denied the allegations, saying they contain “absolutely no truth”, foreign policy expert and analyst Khan’s anti-US rhetoric is about both his position and the impact on Pakistan. were divided.
“It is important for a country not to appear hostile (IC) to another country. Pakistan’s former foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar told Arab News that we can pursue and follow our interests without showing animosity towards other countries.
Referring to the cable, he said that using internal diplomatic documents as a political tool would affect “how seriously people take your diplomats abroad in the future”.
“Here, anti-Western sentiment is being used as a tool,” he said.
“This is a dangerous trend that is not healthy for Pakistan.”
But another former Pakistani diplomat, Javed Hafeez, dismissed the controversy, saying it could affect Pakistan’s ties with the US in the short term.
“If a new government comes after the no-confidence motion, it can review Pakistan’s foreign policy towards the US or any other country,” he told Arab News.
“The foreign policy and diplomatic relations of each state are based on interests, and are not held hostage to the choices of individuals.”
For Michael Kugelman, a senior aide in South Asia at Washington’s Wilson Center, Khan’s “anti-Americanism” could force him to “face challenges if he loses the no-confidence vote.”
“The military – which had supported Khan for many years – values relations with the US,” he said.
“So, Khan certainly doesn’t do himself any favors by taking this position, beyond rallying his staunch supporters, and especially when he is in such a vulnerable political position and is getting all the help he needs from the lead actors of the house. Including the army.”
Khan had earlier campaigned against America.
His Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party rose to prominence in 2011, when it blocked roads for NATO supply shipments to Afghanistan, as the US sought to stop firing missiles into Pakistan’s northwest.
If Khan does not complete his term, the anti-American narrative may now be repeated to enthuse voters and supporters in the event of a new election.
“The story of Imran Khan is very strong. At this point of time it is in line with the sentiments of the general public,” said political analyst Dr. Rasool Bakhsh Raees.
“Khan is definitely going to fight the next election on this narrative of national integrity and (country) sovereignty, in the hope that the people will answer him (as he did in the past).