MOSCOW/ISLAMABAD: Days after the deputy speaker dissolved the National Assembly to sidestep a no-confidence vote against Imran Khan citing claims of a US-backed conspiracy, Russia lambasted “another attempt of shameless interference” by Washington in the internal affairs of Islamabad to punish a “disobedient” prime minister.
Khan, an outspoken critic of Washington’s War on Terror and Pakistan’s partnership in that war, says the US wants him gone because of his foreign policy choices and for refusing to distance Pakistan from China and Russia.
He met President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on February 24, as Russian forces continued their attacks in Ukraine, with the former expressing “regret” that a military conflict was not averted, according to a Foreign Office statement.
In a statement, Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Russia noted that President Dr Arif Alvi dissolved the assembly on April 3 on the prime minister’s advice as well as the events preceding it.
3 اپریل کو اسلامی جمہوریہ پاکستان کے صدر عارف علوی نے وزیراعظم عمران خان کی سفارش پر قومی اسمبلی کو تحلیل کردیا گیا۔ اس صورتحال پر آج روسی وزارت خارجہ کی ترجمان ماریہ زاخارووا کا ردعمل سامنے آیا ہے کہ عمران خان کے اس سال 23-24 فروری کو ماسکو کے سرکاری دورہ کے اعلان follow retweet pic.twitter.com/isySVm9UdH
— روس اردو (@russia_urdu) April 5, 2022
“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, [Lu] called the Pakistani ambassador in Washington and demanded that the visit be immediately interrupted, which was also rejected,” she said.
“According to the Pakistani media, on March 7 this year, in a conversation with Pakistani Ambassador Asad Majid, 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 United States are possible only if Imran Khan is removed from power,” Zakharova said.
The official said that further developments left no doubt the US “decided to punish the ‘disobedient’ Imran Khan”, noting how MPs from within the PTI switched sides to the opposition while the no-confidence vote was submitted to the speaker.
“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.
