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Lettergate is an American-Pakistani political affair set off by a conversation at a farewell lunch for the then-
Pakistani ambassador to the United States
The Pakistan Ambassador to the United States is in charge of the Pakistan Embassy, Washington, D.C. and Pakistan's diplomatic mission to the United States. The official title is Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to the United Stat ...
Asad Majeed Khan, which took place on 7 March 2022 at Khan's official residence, also known as Pakistan House.
A diplomatic telegram (
Cypher
Cypher is an alternative spelling for cipher.
Cypher may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Cypher (French Group), a Goa trance music group
* Cypher (band), an Australian instrumental band
* Cypher (film), ''Cypher'' (film), a 2002 film
* C ...
No. I-0678) sent by Ambassador Khan to the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...
was based on the notes taken by the note-taker, who was from the
embassy of Pakistan based in Washington, D.C. The lunch was attended by US officials including then US
{{R from other capitalisation ...
Donald Lu
Donald Lu (born 1966) is a United States diplomat serving as Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs since 2021. He previously served as both the United States Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan from 2018 to 2021 and the United S ...
and Deputy Assistant Secretary
Lesslie Viguerie. The Pakistani diplomats attending the lunch meeting included Deputy Chief of Mission Syed Naveed Bokhari and the
Defence attaché
Defense or defence may refer to:
Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups
* Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare
* Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks
* Defense indust ...
.
The meeting was deemed a "blatant interference" by the 37th National Security Council of Pakistan
and resulted in a strong
démarche
A démarche (; from the French word whose literal meaning is "step" or "solicitation") has come to refer either to:
* a line of action; move; countermove; maneuver, especially in diplomacy; or
* a formal diplomacy, diplomatic representation (dip ...
to the US Chargé d'Affaires. The 38th National Security Council reaffirmed the previous council's assessment, but deemed that "no evidence of any foreign conspiracy" was found. The former
Prime Minister of Pakistan
The prime minister of Pakistan ( ur, , romanized: Wazīr ē Aʿẓam , ) is the head of government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and his chosen cabinet, despite the president of Paki ...
,
Imran Khan
Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi ( ur}; born 5 October 1952) is a Pakistani politician and former Cricket captain who served as the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan from August 2018 to until April 2022, when he was ousted through a no-confidenc ...
(
PTI PTI may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Pardon the Interruption'', an American television sports show
* PTI, a musical group on the WTII Records label
Organizations
* Pacific Torah Institute, a yeshiva high school in Vancouver, British Columb ...
), alleged that the events of the meeting were an attempt to influence his foreign policy, and the contents of the letter confirmed a conspiracy to remove him from office through a parliamentary
vote of no confidence
A motion of no confidence, also variously called a vote of no confidence, no-confidence motion, motion of confidence, or vote of confidence, is a statement or vote about whether a person in a position of responsibility like in government or mana ...
in favor of the members of the
Pakistan Democratic Movement
The Pakistan Democratic Movement ( ur, پاکستان ڈیموکریٹک موومنٹ), or PDM, is a coalition of political parties in Pakistan. It was founded in September 2020 as a movement against then prime minister Imran Khan, accusing his ...
.
He also alleged that the letter stated that if the vote of no confidence failed, Pakistan would face dire consequences.
The US Spokesperson for the Department of State,
Ned Price
Edward "Ned" Price (born November 22, 1982) is an American political advisor and former intelligence officer serving as spokesman for the United States Department of State since 2021. He worked at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) from 2006 ...
, denied the allegations, saying "there is absolutely no truth to that allegation."
On 10 May, the 23rd Prime Minister of Pakistan,
Shebaz Shariff (
PMLN,
PDM), addressed the
National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...
and acknowledged the letter was genuine, but reiterated no conspiracy.
Timeline
* September 2020: The
Pakistan Democratic Movement
The Pakistan Democratic Movement ( ur, پاکستان ڈیموکریٹک موومنٹ), or PDM, is a coalition of political parties in Pakistan. It was founded in September 2020 as a movement against then prime minister Imran Khan, accusing his ...
, a
political alliance
A political group is a group consisting of political parties or legislators of aligned ideologies. A technical group is similar to a political group, but with members of differing ideologies.
International terms
Equivalent terms are used differ ...
of some opposition parties in Pakistan, takes shape against prime minister
Imran Khan
Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi ( ur}; born 5 October 1952) is a Pakistani politician and former Cricket captain who served as the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan from August 2018 to until April 2022, when he was ousted through a no-confidenc ...
.
* 2021 end : Opposition seeks to move no confidence motion.
* 7 February 2022: Schedule of Prime Minister Imran Khan visit to Russia publicly confirmed in midst of speculation of
Russian invasion of Ukraine
On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...
.
* 11 February 2022: Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) President Maulana Fazlur Rehman declares the decision of opposition alliance to move a no-confidence motion against the dispensation of Imran Khan by talking to government's allies in the centre for the purpose.
* Unknown date : Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi makes (independently not confirmed) claim that the U.S. national security advisor called up his Pakistani counterpart, expecting Islamabad to cancel Prime Minister Imran Khan on visit to Russia
* 24 February 2022: Prime Minister Imran Khan on visit to Russia, the day of the invasion of Ukraine took place.
* 7 March 2022: US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu and Deputy Assistant Secretary Lesslie C Viguerie attend a farewell lunch by Pakistan ambassador Asad Majeed Khan at later's residence. An internal diplomatic cable based on notes from discussions in this lunch by Asad Majeed Khan sent to Pakistan Foreign office.
* 27 March 2022: In a speech at Parade Ground in
Islamabad
Islamabad (; ur, , ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's ninth-most populous city, with a population of over 1.2 million people, and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital T ...
, then-Prime Minister
Imran Khan
Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi ( ur}; born 5 October 1952) is a Pakistani politician and former Cricket captain who served as the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan from August 2018 to until April 2022, when he was ousted through a no-confidenc ...
removed a document from his pocket and waved it to the crowd and media crew. He claimed that "attempts are being made to influence our foreign policy from abroad. We have been aware of this conspiracy for months". He further stated that "attempts are being made through foreign money to change the government in Pakistan". PM Khan revealed that "we have been threatened in writing, but we will not compromise on national interest. The letter I have is proof, and I want to dare anyone who is doubting this letter".
PM Khan claimed that
Nawaz Sharif
Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif (Urdu, Punjabi language, Punjabi: ; born 25 December 1949) is a Pakistani businessman and politician who has served as the Prime Minister of Pakistan for three non-consecutive terms. He is the longest-serving prime ...
and
Shehbaz Sharif
Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif (Urdu, Punjabi: , ; born 23 September 1951) is a Pakistani politician and businessman who is currently serving as the 23rd Prime Minister of Pakistan, in office since 11 April 2022. He is the current president of ...
, leaders of the
Pakistan Muslim League
The Pakistan Muslim League ( ur, ; known as PML), is the name of several different Pakistani political parties that have dominated the right-wing platform in the country.
The Muslim League (a different party) was the party of Pakistan’s ...
, and
Asif Ali Zardari
Asif Ali Zardari ( ur, ; sd, ; born 26 July 1955) is a Pakistani politician who is the president of Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians and was the co-chairperson of Pakistan People's Party. He served as the 11th president of Pakistan ...
, president of the
Pakistan People's Party
The Pakistan People's Party ( ur, , ; PPP) is a centre-left, social-democratic political party in Pakistan. It is currently the third largest party in the National Assembly and second largest in the Senate of Pakistan. The party was founded i ...
, were also part of the conspiracy.
* 30 March 2022:
Islamabad High Court
The Islamabad High Court is the senior court of the Islamabad Capital Territory, Pakistan, with appellate jurisdiction over the following district courts:
* Islamabad District Court (East)
* Islamabad District Court (West)
Justice Aamer Far ...
Chief Justice
Athar Minallah
Athar Minallah (; born 30 December 1961) is a Pakistani jurist serving as a judge of Supreme Court of Pakistan since 11 November 2022. Prior to that, he served as the 5th Chief Justice of Islamabad High Court from 28 November 2018 to 10 Novembe ...
disposed of a petition that sought a
restraining order
A restraining order or protective order, is an order used by a court to protect a person in a situation involving alleged domestic violence, child abuse, assault, harassment, stalking, or sexual assault.
Restraining and personal protection or ...
on PM Khan from disclosing the contents of the confidential letter. The court stated that it "is confident that as an elected prime minister he would not disclose any information or act in breach of Section 5 of the
Official Secrets Act
An Official Secrets Act (OSA) is legislation that provides for the protection of state secrets and official information, mainly related to national security but in unrevised form (based on the UK Official Secrets Act 1911) can include all infor ...
, 1923, nor the
oath
Traditionally an oath (from Anglo-Saxon ', also called plight) is either a statement of fact or a promise taken by a sacrality as a sign of verity. A common legal substitute for those who conscientiously object to making sacred oaths is to ...
taken by him under the Constitution".
* 31 March 2022: Pakistan's
National Security Advisor A national security advisor serves as the chief advisor to a national government on matters of security. The advisor is not usually a member of the government's cabinet but is usually a member of various military or security councils.
National sec ...
Moeed Yusuf
Moeed W. Yusuf is a Pakistani national security scholar who served as the 9th National Security Adviser to the Prime Minister of Pakistan. Previously he served in the capacity of a Special Assistant to the Prime Minister of Pakistan on National ...
briefed a meeting held by the
National Security Committee (NSC) that was chaired by PM Khan. Following which the
Prime Minister's Office (PMO) issued a statement saying that "the committee expressed grave concern at the communication, terming the language used by the foreign official as undiplomatic" and called it a "blatant interference in the internal affairs of Pakistan by the country in question". The NSC decided that Pakistan will issue "a strong
demarche to the country in question both in Islamabad and in the country's capital through a proper channel in keeping with diplomatic norms," according to the PMO statement.
Later in the day, the
Foreign Office of Pakistan
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs ( ur, , ''Wazarat-e-Kharja'', abbreviated as MoFA) is a ministry of the Government of Pakistan tasked in managing Pakistan's diplomatic and consular relations as well as its foreign policy. The MOFA is also resp ...
summoned an official of the
United States embassy
The United States has the second most diplomatic missions of any country in the world after Mainland China, including 166 of the 193 member countries of the United Nations, as well as observer state Vatican City and non-member countries Kosovo a ...
and handed over the requisite demarches.
* 3 April 2022: In a meeting with Ambassador
Asad Majeed Khan, PM Khan stated that US
{{R from other capitalisation ...