Khan, who has been accused by opposition parties of poor governance and financial incompetence, claimed at a rally on Sunday that he had a letter indicating that a foreign country was plotting against him and his political opponents who were working for him. In a live televised address to the nation on Thursday, the same day that the confidence debate in parliament began, he said “America threatened me” when he spoke about the letter before trying to correct it and saying “it was a foreign country”. The US government has categorically rejected any involvement in the vote of no confidence and called the allegations baseless. Abdul Basit, a former diplomat, told local media that the so-called threatening letter was a diplomatic assessment of former US Ambassador to Pakistan Assad Majid Khan and not a threat from the US government. Opposition parties have stated opposition to using force or imposing sanctions on Iran. The vote of confidence will take place on 3 April. At the beginning of his speech to the nation, Khan said: “Today, I have to talk about something important for the future of the country. “I decided to make this speech live because Pakistan is at a crucial moment and we have two roads ahead of us.” He claimed that the letter read: “If the vote of no confidence succeeds, we will forgive you. “If he does not succeed and Imran Khan remains prime minister, then Pakistan will be in a difficult situation.” Hahn said in his speech: “I never wanted to be a slave in any country. “When I came to power I decided we would have an independent foreign policy.” He was expected to deliver the speech on Wednesday, but was forced to postpone it until Thursday after a vital coalition party joined the opposition, ending its majority in parliament. The move by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement – Pakistan (MQM-P) raises the expected number of opposition votes against Khan to 177 – five more than the 172 needed in the 342-member National Assembly to oust him. Official opposition leaders Shahbaz Sharif and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari have called on Khan to step down before the vote, as he has lost the majority, but as political heat rises in Islamabad, the chances of him doing so are slim. Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry wrote on Twitter on Wednesday: “Prime Minister Imran Khan is a player who fights to the last ball. He will not resign. ” Khan holds rallies of his supporters before the vote of confidence. Khan has also threatened lawmakers with the wrath of the masses if they vote against him. Kanwar Naveed Jamil, MQM-P’s deputy editor, was harassed and called a traitor by Khan’s supporters at Islamabad International Airport on Wednesday after his party parted ways with the prime minister. Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar of the opposition Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), the third largest in parliament, said populist politicians around the world have polarized societies and Khan is no exception. “Over the years, Khan has portrayed opposition leaders and their parties as corrupt, traitors and has labeled them public enemies. “He and his ministers have publicly threatened dissidents within his own party with serious consequences if they do not choose to side with his government in the no-confidence vote,” he said. “Now they have taken it a step further by harassing and attacking a member of the former coalition partner who recently decided to part ways with the government of Imran Khan. We want to see him walk away through the democratic and parliamentary no-confidence motion process. “Maybe Imran Khan should sit back and consider his own performance in office instead of sparking more hatred.”
