BEING an apolitical platform, the National Security Committee (NSC), in its statement after a crucial meeting on Friday, did not go deep into the ongoing propaganda by the PTI but it once again firmly rejected the allegations of a foreign funded conspiracy to oust Imran Khan Government.
On the basis of the first-hand briefing by Ambassador Asad Majeed as well as investigations carried out by relevant security agencies, the NSC reaffirmed that the language used by the foreign official in the letter was undiplomatic and blatant interference in Pakistan’s internal affairs, but a thorough review of the communication helped reach the conclusion that there was no foreign conspiracy.
The way the issue has been handled during the last one month has made Pakistan a laughing stock in the comity of nations and after categorical clarification of the NSC it should no more be exploited by petty political gains.
A false narrative was built around the so-called ‘letter by a foreign government’, which ultimately turned out to be a routine diplomatic cable by Pakistan’s own Ambassador in Washington to cloud the minds of the general public about the reasons for the political change in the country.
The motion of no-confidence was simply an issue of numerical majority of the opposition and the treasury in the National Assembly and instead of accepting the loss of majority with sportsman-like spirit a propaganda campaign was unleashed to convey an impression that Imran Khan Government was being removed at the instance of the United States.
This is despite the fact that throughout its tenure the PTI Government did nothing unusual to offend the world’s only superpower and instead placated it by toeing its lines on CPEC and Kashmir.
It was also during PTI rule that Pakistan not only helped face saving to the United States on the Afghan issue but also provided safe passage during the withdrawal phase.
It is not for the first time that the conspiracy theory stands exposed as NSC, in its previous meeting, also came to the same conclusion that the allegations of foreign-funded conspiracy to oust Imran Khan Government were not proved and Director-General, ISPR also reiterated the same position in his briefing a few days later.
There is no doubt that the communication is a reality and not a fiction as was originally believed by the then joint opposition and to this extent the stand of the PTI is vindicated but it has to be realized that neither it was a direct threatening letter by the US Government (which is normally not conceivable in the realm of diplomacy) nor its contents confirm presence of any conspiracy to oust the Government in Pakistan.
The reaction given by PTI Vice Chairman and former Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi to the latest statement of the NSC is also not relevant.
He claimed “our position was reaffirmed that not only the letter and its contents were correct but also the issuance of a protest letter by the PTI government on the issue in the light of the decision of the National Security Committee was the right decision.
” The real dispute is about the linkage of the conspiracy to the internal assessment of our own Ambassador on the basis of his meeting with a State Department official.
In any case, this is for the first time that a diplomatic cable has been politicized at this scale just to gain political mileage by a party and its leader in the face of a constitutional process for change and as a result not only bilateral relations of Pakistan with the United States have been affected but concerns have also been expressed by our diplomats that their job has been made difficult as the issue has implications for the conduct of smooth diplomacy.
There is also no justification to form a Judicial Commission to probe an imaginary conspiracy as is being demanded by some PTI leaders.
Such an inquiry might suit the political strategy of the party, which wants to keep the issue alive till completion of the inquiry by the Commission but it would be sheer wastage of time and amount to further politicization of a foreign policy issue, the sort of which are handled routinely and discreetly by members of the diplomatic community all over the globe.
