Russia blasts 'shameless US interference' in Pakistan's affairs

Russia has blasted "another attempt of shameless interference" by the United States in the internal affairs of Pakistan, saying that Washington sought to punish a "disobedient" Prime Minister Imran Khan following his visit to Moscow on February 23-24.

The spokesperson for Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Maria Zakharova said in a statement issued on Monday that the political development in Pakistan “leaves no doubt” that the United States plotted to topple the government of Prime Minister Khan.

The Russian foreign office condemned the United States over its involvement in an alleged conspiracy to overthrow the Pakistani government.

"Immediately after the announcement of the working visit of Imran Khan to Moscow on February 23-24 this year, the Americans and their Western associates began to exert rude pressure on the prime minister, demanding an ultimatum to cancel the trip," Zakharova said.

The Russian foreign office stated that US Deputy Secretary of State for South Asia Donald Lu called upon the Pakistani ambassador in Washington and subsequently called upon Ambassador Asad Majid to “condemn the balanced reaction of the Pakistani leadership to the events in Ukraine,” as evidence of American interference in Pakistan’s affairs.

"When he [Khan] nevertheless came to us, [Lu] called the Pakistani ambassador in Washington and demanded that the visit be immediately interrupted, which was also rejected," she stated.

US mask now completely off: Analyst

“The mask has been coming loose for a long time. It is now completely off, and you can see the beast in all its ugly splendor,” said an American political analyst and journalist.

“In the five years since the 2017 inauguration of Donald Trump, it has changed its tune from sanctimonious condemnation over a few alleged Facebook ads which allegedly constituted ‘meddling’ to outright threats, blackmail and attempts to organize a military coup d'etat out in the open. The hidden evil now stands naked before the world and in its impunity is unashamed,” Don DeBar noted.

"According to the Pakistani media, on March 7 this year, in a conversation with Pakistani Ambassador Asad Majid, a high-ranking American official (presumably the same Donald Lu) sharply condemned the balanced reaction of the Pakistani leadership to the events in Ukraine and made it clear that partnerships with the United States are possible only if Imran Khan is removed from power," Zakharova said.

She added that further development of the situation in Pakistan left no doubt that Washington "decided to punish the 'disobedient' Imran Khan,” for not condemning the Russian military action in Ukraine as was demanded by the US.

"This is another attempt of shameless US interference in the internal affairs of an independent state for its own selfish purposes. The above facts eloquently testify to this," Zakharova said.

"The [Pakistan] prime minister himself has repeatedly stated that the conspiracy against him was inspired and financed from abroad. We hope that Pakistani voters will be informed about these circumstances when they come to the elections, which should be held within 90 days after the dissolution of the National Assembly," she said.

Addressing a large rally in the capital Islamabad last week, Prime Minister Khan accused an unnamed "foreign power" - in a clear reference to the United States - of funding a "conspiracy" to topple his democratically-elected government.

He said the "foreign power" sent millions of dollars to opposition parties to launch a no-confidence vote against him in the parliament.

On Sunday, members of Pakistan's parliament chanted "Death to America" as they rejected a no-confidence vote, which sought to oust Khan, saying "foreign powers" were interfering in the country's democratic process.

Pakistan PM Imran Khan accuses US of funding ‘conspiracy’ to topple his government

Pakistan

The National Assembly deputy speaker dismissed the no-trust move against the prime minister, terming it as "contradictory" to Article 5 of Pakistan's Constitution.

Suri said that the motion was presented on March 8 and should be conducted according to the law and the Constitution, stressing, "No foreign power shall be allowed to topple an elected government through a conspiracy."

The Pakistani president later dissolved the National Assembly on Khan's advice.

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