MOSCOW: Russia has said that there was a “shameless” attempt by the United States to interfere in the internal affairs of an independent state.
Commenting upon the political developments in Pakistan, Russian Federation Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Maria Zakharova said from facts and reports, it emerged that a conspiracy against the government was inspired and financed from abroad to punish a “disobedient” Imran Khan.
She further noted that immediately after the announcement of working visit of Prime Minister Imran Khan to Moscow on February 23-24, certain countries began to exert pressure demanding cancellation of the trip. “We hope that Pakistani voters will be informed about these circumstances when they come to the elections,” Russian foreign ministry quoted her official as saying.
“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,” she said.
“When he nevertheless came to us, (US officials) called the Pakistani ambassador in Washington and demanded that the visit be immediately interrupted, which was also rejected,” she stated.
“According to the Pakistani media, on March 7 this year, in a conversation with Pakistani Ambassador Asad Majeed, a high-ranking American official sharply condemned the balanced reaction of the Pakistani leadership to the events in Ukraine and made it clear that partnerships with the US are possible only if Imran Khan is removed from power,” Zakharova said.
The Russian official said that further development of the situation left no doubt that the US “decided to punish the ‘disobedient’ Imran Khan”, noting how lawmakers switched sides to the opposition while the no-confidence vote was submitted to Parliament.
“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.
The statement comes after PM Imran Khan named US Assistant Secretary of State for Central and South Asia Donald Lu as the official who made “threatening remarks” about his regime in a letter, which the premier had brandished during a rally in Islamabad last month.
Last month, the National Security Committee had decided to issue a “strong demarche” over the letter, terming it “blatant interference in the internal affairs of Pakistan”. PM Imran Khan has alleged that the no-confidence motion is part of the “foreign conspiracy” to oust him from power.
