Pakistan PM to show 'threat letter' to journalists, allies today

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday said he will show the 'threatening letter', that he referred to in his public rally in Islamabad on 27 March, to senior journalists and government allies later today.

He made the revelation while addressing a ceremony for the launch of the e-passport facility in Islamabad, reports DAWN.

During the ceremony, the prime minister talked about the no-confidence motion, especially the existence of the alleged letter, which warned of 'dire consequences' if he continued to stay in power.

However, the opposition has rejected the premier's claims; and concerned quarters did not find any evidence of an external plot to remove Imran from power.

Imran said that the no-confidence motion was a "democratic" right in a parliamentary democracy, but as per him, the current no-trust move was "funded by foreign powers".

PM Imran said foreign powers could not accept leadership that worked for the people of Pakistan and criticised the United States' War on Terror, saying Pakistan "sacrificed its interest" for foreign powers but they never "valued" its sacrifices.

In an allusion to the alleged letter, Imran said he would show it to senior journalists and allied parties to show that it was "real".

"People think this is a drama going on. This is not a drama. As we just wanted to protect our national interests, that is why we cannot disclose which people have threatened us. As people are casting aspersion that Imran Khan wanted to protect his government, so I have decided to share it with top journalists" he added.

The prime minister said people are unintentionally becoming part of the conspiracy.

"I will also invite a representative from allied parties and share (letter) with them. I will tell them this document is real. This is a conspiracy even bigger than what I am saying. This is clear in the document," he commented.

PM to address nation

Separately, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said that the prime minister would address the nation later today.

Speaking to the media before a meeting of the federal cabinet, the minister said that an emergency meeting had been called. He asserted that PM Imran would "fight till the last ball".

"Voting on the no-confidence motion is on 3 April and the PM will address the nation in the evening," he said.

Senator Faisal Javed Khan also confirmed the news on Twitter, saying that the prime minister was staying strong for the sake of the nation.

According to Radio Pakistan, a special session of the federal cabinet chaired by PM Imran will be held in Islamabad today which will also be attended by the heads of the allied parties.

"The cabinet members and other participants will be taken into confidence about the threatening document," the report said.

Meanwhile, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said that PM Imran was a "player who would fight till the last ball".

"You will not get a resignation," he said.

The letter controversy

The controversy arose after Premier Imran, in his speech at a public rally on Sunday, claimed that there was a "foreign-funded plot" being hatched against his government. He showed a letter, but without divulging its contents, as evidence of the existence of the conspiracy aimed at toppling his government. Imran insisted that efforts were being made to seek his ouster since he pursued an "independent" foreign policy.

Since his revelations, many questions are being asked including whether the letter was written by any country or was an internal assessment shared by one of the foreign diplomatic missions of Pakistan.

The Express Tribune sent a questionnaire to the FO spokesperson asking all the relevant queries but he offered no comments.

The "threatening letter" was also shared with the military leadership, according to Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi. But relevant quarters revealed that they had "no knowledge" of any such plot and neither did they see any evidence.