Pakistan's fragile relationship with US reaches new low
Apr 28, 2022
Islamabad [Pakistan], April 28 : Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's allegations of foreign-funded conspiracy against the US have hurt the bilateral ties, especially after publicly naming the US official as Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Donald Lu.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif this week said that his country "cannot afford enmity" with the United States. Sharif said that country's National Security Committee's statement rejects any conspiracy but agreed to the idea of forming a judicial commission on the cable controversy.
Writing for the Global Start View, Pia Sherman argued that Islamabad's fragile relationship with Washington reached new lows after former Imran Khan levelled serious allegations against the United States.
According to her, Khan alleged that the Biden administration colluded with his rivals on the no-confidence motion, which the opposition brought because of the Prime Minister's economic misgovernance.
She said Khan's allegations have hurt US-Pakistan relations, especially after publicly naming the US official as Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Donald Lu.
Notably, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has staged several protests across the country against the United States for an alleged "foreign conspiracy" to oust Imran Khan from power who has been unseated after the no-confidence vote initiated by the Opposition was carried in the National Assembly.
Explaining the alleged conspiracy against him, Imran Khan had said that he learned three to four months ago that US officials had started meeting the leaders of the then Opposition along with PTI's dissident MPs and journalists at the US embassy.
Imran Khan said that after those meetings, when US State Department official Donald Lu met the Pakistani ambassador, he knew that the no-confidence motion was being tabled against his government.
Meanwhile, speaking on the sit-in announced by the PTI calling for general elections, the premier said that though his government did not believe in politics of revenge, he would not tolerate anarchy in the country, reported the media outlet.
PTI chairman Imran Khan has said that he, along with his party workers, would stage a sit-in in Islamabad until the announcement of the next general elections.
