Pak-USA Rift: A leaked document of Pakistan and the USA surfaced online after the US-based investigative outlet. Drop Site published a document revealing the conversation between Pakistan’s then-ambassador and Joe Biden, former US president, on ousting then-Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan. The document—traditionally referred to in Pakistani politics as the “cipher”—details a highly sensitive March 2022 meeting between Pakistan’s then ambassador to the United States, Asad Majeed Khan, and the Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, Donald Lu.
Pak-USA Rift: Washington’s Frustrations Over Khan’s Stance on Russia and Afghan Bases
The original document, identified as cable I-0678, was published by the US-based investigative media outlet Drop Site News. According to the report, the Joe Biden administration used the March 7, 2022, meeting to strongly encourage Islamabad to remove Imran Khan from office. Washington’s frustrations reportedly stemmed from Khan’s “aggressively neutral position” regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine, highlighted by his high-profile visit to Moscow on the very day the war began. Furthermore, US officials were reportedly deeply aggrieved by Khan’s steadfast refusal to allow American forces the use of Pakistani military bases for “over-the-horizon” counter-terrorism operations in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.
“All Will Be Forgiven” if No-Confidence Vote Succeeds, US Diplomat Allegedly Promised
The leaked contents of the cypher show Donald Lu explicitly laying out the stakes of the political standoff to the Pakistani envoy. Lu reportedly stated that Washington’s grievances could be set aside if the prime minister was unseated. “I think if the no-confidence vote against the Prime Minister succeeds, all will be forgiven in Washington because the Russia visit is being looked at as a decision by the Prime Minister,” Lu was quoted as saying, warning that otherwise, Pakistan would face severe diplomatic isolation from both Europe and the United States. While Washington has repeatedly denied these allegations, with former State Department spokesperson Ned Price previously asserting there was “no truth” to them, the timeline of the leak directly aligns with the political execution of Khan’s ouster.
Deepening Rift with the Military and the Hiring of a Secret CIA Lobbyist
Behind the scenes, the diplomatic friction exposed a massive rift between Imran Khan’s civilian government and Pakistan’s powerful military establishment. Leaked documents indicate that while Khan was drawing strict diplomatic red lines with both Washington and the Gulf Cooperation Council—including resisting a mutual defense pact pressed by Saudi Arabia—the military concluded that his independent foreign policy was dangerously isolating the country. Proving that the generals had begun operating independently of their elected government, the report revealed that the Pakistani military had quietly retained a former CIA Islamabad station chief as a lobbyist in Washington as early as July 2021, entirely without the Prime Minister’s knowledge.
Post-Ouster Policy Shifts and the Link Between Ukraine Munitions and IMF Bailouts
Following Khan’s removal via a parliamentary no-confidence vote on April 9, 2022, the incoming military-backed coalition government quickly reversed the country’s geopolitical trajectory to align with Western and Gulf interests. Pakistan rapidly signed the Saudi defense pact that Khan had blocked and, according to reports, began covertly supplying critical artillery ammunition to aid the Ukrainian war effort via US contractors and third-party intermediaries. The Drop Site report further notes that crucial International Monetary Fund (IMF) financial bailouts provided to stave off Pakistan’s economic collapse were quietly tied to the continuation of these military supply lines to Ukraine, cementing the policy pivot that followed the 73-year-old leader’s downfall.
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