Asks party to start preparations for Islamabad march
Former prime minister Imran Khan on Saturday urged the Supreme Court to hold an open hearing of the matter involving a “diplomatic cable” containing a threat to his government from the US.
Addressing his first press conference after being removed from the prime ministership, Imran Khan appealed to the SC to investigate the cable from the US, adding that if the apex court fails to do so, then no prime minister would be able to stand firm against conspiracies and threats.
“It (Supreme Court) should do now what it did not do earlier — probe the cable […] even former president Gen Pervez Musharraf decided to follow the instructions just because of a threat. Therefore, it is imperative that the court probe this cable,” the ex-premier said.
Khan said once the apex court investigates the cable, it will come to light that then-Opposition leaders and PTI members met foreign diplomats often — in the days up to the no-confidence motion.
“How did a media campaign start against my government? I knew what was happening as I was getting reports,” the PTI chairman said.
Imran said he was surprised that the top court was not hearing the case on an urgent basis. “Does this issue not warrant the court’s immediate attention?”
He claimed he was right all along and the National Security Committee’s (NSC) latest statement proves that there was a conspiracy against him.
He said the NSC meeting — with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in the chair endorsed the cable was genuine and that Pakistan’s ex-ambassador to the US held a meeting with American official Donald Lu, where the latter used undiplomatic language.
“I will go a step forward and say that he was arrogant […] the Joe Biden administration official told our ambassador that Imran Khan will have to be removed through a no-confidence motion,” the PTI chairman said, adding that the meeting took place before the no-trust motion was filed.
