Screengrab of P.M. Khan’s nationally televised address
In nationally televised address, premier ‘mistakenly’ identifies U.S. as country named in ‘threat letter’ and claims he is being targeted over ‘independent foreign policy’
Prime Minister Imran Khan, in a nationally televised address on Thursday, reiterated his allegations of an “international conspiracy” seeking the ouster of his government, going so far as to identify the U.S.—in an apparent slip of the tongue—as the country behind the “threat.”
The prime minister had initially been scheduled to address the nation on Wednesday, but the government announced it had been postponed without providing any reasons for the delay. On Thursday, he stressed that he was delivering his speech “live” rather than pre-recorded, claiming this was because the “country is passing through a defining moment and I want to share my inner feelings with you.”
While most of the speech covered Khan’s usual talking points—emphasizing that he never needed to enter politics as he “had everything” after a successful cricket career; summarizing his accomplishments out of politics—the primary topic of Thursday’s address was his narrative of being “victimized” for wanting an “independent” foreign policy for Pakistan. Accusing opposition leaders of being “stooges” of the U.S.—a common refrain of the prime minister in the past week—he sought to establish that he was facing a no-confidence motion in Parliament because he had refused to take “dictation” from Washington.
“On March 8, or before it on March 7, America … not America … but from abroad, we received a message from a country,” he said, in an apparent mistake, as the government had already claimed that the country in question could not be identified because it could impact Pakistan’s foreign relations.
Referring to the “threat letter,” a diplomatic cable that was authored by a Pakistani envoy on the basis of his discussions with officials in his host country, Khan claimed that its frank admission of the foreign country linking better ties with the success of the no-confidence motion was not only a message against him, “but also the country.”
Reiterating his claims of Pakistan committing a “big mistake” by becoming an ally of the U.S. in the war on terror, he said he had always said that neither would he bow down before anyone, nor would he let Pakistan bow down. “It means I will not let my nation be a slave to anyone. I have never backed down from this stance. When I came to power, I decided that our foreign policy will be independent, which means it will be for Pakistanis. It doesn’t mean that we wanted enmity. When I got the government, I said that we will not have any foreign policy that is not in our favor,” he claimed.
Claiming that the letter had indicated that the offending country had known a no-trust move was coming—a bizarre assertion, as the opposition had been warning of it since January 2022—he alleged that this suggested the opposition was working with the foreign country. “They say they will forgive Pakistan if Imran Khan loses in the no-trust move, but if the move fails, Pakistan will have to go through a difficult time,” he said.
“Is this our status? We are a nation of 220 million and another country is issuing threats without giving a reason. They said that Imran Khan decided to go to Russia on his own even though the Foreign Office and the military leadership were consulted,” he said, adding this implied “they” had no issue with
“the people who would replace Imran Khan.”
Reiterating his claims of foreign forces desiring the opposition to come to power as they knew where opposition leaders’ money and properties were, he accused them—falsely—of never condemning drone attacks when they were conducted in Pakistan’s tribal areas during the peak of the war on terror.
Rubbishing speculation that he might resign ahead of the no-confidence vote in the National Assembly on Sunday, the prime minister said he would fight “till the last ball” and urged his supporters to identify and isolate the “traitors” who had pledged to vote against him.
“Sunday will be a defining day in the country’s political history,” he said, claiming the people’s representatives would decide whether they sided with “independent foreign policy or slavery of the superpowers.” He also reiterated his warnings to dissident members of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), claiming the nation would “neither forgive nor forget you and the people behind you for becoming a part of the international conspiracy.”
The prime minister concluded his address by reiterating his threats of “becoming more dangerous” when he was out of office—though it remains unclear who he would prove a greater danger to in opposition.