An expose by The Intercept reporters Ryan Grim and Murtaza Hussain found that the US is in part responsible for the imprisonment of the very popular Pakistan President Imran Khan. He is in prison for three years and cannot run for office for five years. If he ran, he’d win.
The US wasn’t happy with Pakistan’s neutral stance on the Ukraine war and went after the President, who wanted to maintain positive relations with all nations.
THE SECRET CABLE
A secret cable from Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu, to Asad Majeed Khan, who at the time was Pakistan’s ambassador to the U.S. has revealed the extent of American involvement in affairs not our own.
The document quotes Lu saying that “people here and in Europe are quite concerned about why Pakistan is taking such an aggressively neutral position (on Ukraine), if such a position is even possible. It does not seem such a neutral stand to us.” Lu added that he had held internal discussions with the U.S. National Security Council and that “it seems quite clear that this is the Prime Minister’s policy.”
Lu then bluntly raises the issue of a no-confidence vote: “I think if the no-confidence vote against the Prime Minister succeeds, all will be forgiven in Washington because the Russia visit is being looked at as a decision by the Prime Minister,” Lu said, according to the document. “Otherwise,” he continued, “I think it will be tough going ahead.”
Lu warned that if the situation wasn’t resolved, Pakistan would be marginalized by its Western allies. “I cannot tell how this will be seen by Europe but I suspect their reaction will be similar,” Lu said, adding that Khan could face “isolation” by Europe and the U.S. should he remain in office.
THE CONVICTION SOUNDS SIMILAR TO THE TRUMP SITUATION
“Khan was convicted on flimsy charges following a trial where his defense was not even allowed to produce witnesses. He had previously survived an assassination attempt, had a journalist aligned with him murdered, and has seen thousands of his supporters imprisoned.
“While the Biden administration has said that human rights will be at the forefront of their foreign policy, they are now looking away as Pakistan moves toward becoming a full-fledged military dictatorship,” said Rafiq, the Middle East Institute scholar.
“This is ultimately about the Pakistani military using outside forces as a means to preserve their hegemony over the country. Every time there is a grand geopolitical rivalry, whether it is the Cold War or the war on terror, they know how to manipulate the U.S. in their favor.”
This might remind you of the Ric Grennell. story about the Kosovo President who was sent to prison on flimsy charges by Jack Smith, thee Jack Smith.
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