Imran Khan raises 'foreign conspiracy' charge ahead of looming no-confidence vote

Islamabad [Pakistan], March 31 : Pakistan's embattled Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday raised "foreign conspiracy" charge amid the opposition's growing confidence about the no-trust motion against his government that is pending in the National Assembly.
Addressing the nation amid his coalition government having seemingly lost the majority after losing the support of some allies, Imran Khan said a foreign nation sent a message that he needs "to be removed" or Pakistan will face consequences.
"A foreign nation sent a message to us (Pakistan) that Imran Khan needs to be removed else Pakistan will suffer consequences," he said.
Referring to "foreign conspiracy letter," he said its language "was threatening and arrogant".
Khan had waved the "letter" at a public rally on March 27 and said there was a foreign conspiracy to oust him. He had sought to link the opposition's no-confidence motion with "foreign-funded" move to topple his government.
Imran Khan also targeted the US for "not reciprocating" Pakistan's contribution to "war against terror" in Afghanistan.
He said that many Pakistanis lost their lives in the fight against terror, but the US never thanked them. "In fact, the US blamed them for its failure in Afghanistan".
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Party leader said that the country is at a decisive moment.
"Today, I have to talk about something very important to you for the future of our country. I am doing it live and it's not recorded. It is a decisive moment for Pakistan to choose the right path," he said.
He also talked about his entering politics in the 1990s following a successful cricket career.
"I entered politics because I came to the conclusion that Pakistan can never be the country that Allama Iqbal dreamt of and Quaid-e-Azam struggled for even in poor health," he said.
"The main purpose of Pakistan was to become an Islamic welfare state, which traces back to the state of Madina. When I started politics, I included three things in my party's manifesto. Justice, which means the law is the same for the powerful and the weak. Humanity because there is kindness in an Islamic state, and third, Khuddari because a Muslim nation cannot be a slave," he added.
In Pakistan's national assembly, the no-trust vote against the Imran Khan government was deferred to April 3. The proceedings of the National Assembly were adjourned till April 3 soon after it met on Thursday to discuss the no-confidence motion.
Earlier, on Monday, Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) President Shahbaz Sharif tabled the no-confidence motion.
Imran Khan is the third Prime Minister to face the no-confidence motion in Pakistan.
After the no-confidence motion was tabled with a total of 161 votes in favour, the proceedings of the National Assembly were adjourned till March 31.
Imran Khan received a massive blow when the PTI "lost the majority" in the National Assembly after losing its key ally in the coalition Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P). The MQM announced on Wednesday that it had struck a deal with the opposition Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and would support the no-trust vote in the 342-member National Assembly.
The government's survival depends on the support of allies such as MQM-P (7 seats), BAP (5 seats), PML(Q) (5 seats), GDA (3 seats), AML (1 seat), JWP (1 seat) and two independents.