ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has requested the Supreme Court of Pakistan to set up a commission of top judges to probe allegations that a campaign launched by opposition parties to oust him from power was part of a “foreign conspiracy.”
Pakistan’s Supreme Court is currently hearing arguments around Khan’s shock decision to call an early election, sidestepping a no-confidence vote that would have seen him booted from office.
The opposition had expected to take power on Sunday after mustering enough votes to oust the cricketer-turned-politician, but the national assembly deputy speaker refused to allow the motion to proceed because of “foreign interference.”
Khan’s government had said the United States was behind the campaign to dislodge him. The US has repeatedly denied the accusations.
“It is the genuine aspiration/desire of the answering Respondent [Imran Khan] that this honorable court which has taken cognizance of this matter should hold inquisitorial proceedings,” the PM said in a ‘statement of facts’ submitted to the Supreme Court in the hearing on the constitutionality of the deputy speaker’s actions, calling for a high-powered commission of judges to be set up to investigate.
“Sensitive communications as well as gathered most sensitive intelligence by the security agencies of Pakistan [which] manifested that the movement led by the opposition was no longer indigenous or routine democratic effort, but was foreign sponsored,” Khan’s statement said.
“It was aided as well as funded by those states which had become irritated/hostile to the struggle of the federal government to maintain an independent posture within the international community of the world.”
Referring to a meeting of the National Security Council held on March, 31, 2022, the PM said its participants, which include the three services chiefs, were “convinced” that the movement of the opposition to dislodge the Khan government “was foreign funded as well as supported; the object thereof was to defeat the national and international priorities fixed by the state of Pakistan.”
The Pakistan military has not publicly said it believed Khan was being targeted in a foreign conspiracy.
Khan, an outspoken critic of Washington’s war on terror and Pakistan’s partnership in that war, claims the US wants him gone because of his foreign policy choices and for refusing to distance Pakistan from China and Russia.
In his statement to the Supreme Court, he said his political vision on foreign affairs had “created hostilities in the international as well as local arena.”
“These included positive remedial measure to end the Afghan war, exit of foreign forces from Afghanistan, the permanent resistance and refusal to provide any foreign bases/assistance to countries who desired hostile/inimical posture toward Afghanistan. Besides the same, cultivation and promotion of friendly relationship with the neighboring countries, particularly those of the Republic of China and Russia,” the statement said.