A bombshell diplomatic document has reignited one of Pakistan’s most explosive political controversies — the alleged role of the United States in the removal of former Prime Minister Imran Khan from power in April 2022.
The original Pakistani cypher cable, identified as I-0678 and classified as a Grade-II SECRET document, has been publicly released by investigative portal Drop Site News. The document records a high-stakes luncheon meeting on March 7, 2022 — just weeks before the no-confidence vote that removed Imran Khan from office — between Pakistan’s then-Ambassador to the United States Asad Majeed and Donald Lu, the US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia.
The Words That Changed Pakistan’s History
According to the leaked cable, Donald Lu told Pakistan’s ambassador that Washington’s grievances with Imran Khan’s government could be set aside — “all will be forgiven” — if Khan were removed from office through a no-confidence vote. The cable also stated that if the no-confidence vote did not succeed, Pakistan could face increasing isolation from both the United States and Europe.
Lu further warned that Khan could face increasing isolation from the United States and Europe if the vote did not succeed, while making clear that the central issue was Imran Khan’s February 2022 visit to Moscow — which coincided with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Moscow Visit — The Flashpoint
On February 24, 2022 — the same day Russian forces entered Ukraine — Imran Khan was in Moscow for a previously scheduled meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Days before the visit, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan reportedly called Pakistan’s National Security Adviser Moeed Yusuf and urged him to convince Khan to cancel the trip, pressing Pakistan to align more clearly with Washington on the Ukraine conflict. Khan however proceeded with the visit.
Lu noted in the meeting that the US State Department viewed Khan’s neutrality on the Ukraine crisis not as a calculated state policy, but as a personal maneuver tied to the political situation in Islamabad. The pressure extended to a complete freeze on top-tier diplomatic engagement — when Pakistan’s Foreign Minister sought a direct line with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to clarify Pakistan’s position, Washington flatly refused.
Ambassador’s Warning to Islamabad
Pakistan’s Ambassador Asad Majeed’s final assessment in the cable warned Islamabad directly: “Don could not have conveyed such a strong demarche without the express approval of the White House… Clearly, Don spoke out of turn on Pakistan’s internal political process.”
The cable also reveals that a “Super Copy” of this highly sensitive diplomatic warning was sent directly to the Chief of Army Staff and the Director-General of the ISI — a detail that has added further weight to allegations of internal and external coordination in Khan’s removal.
The Military Establishment’s Role
The Drop Site report also alleged close involvement of the Pakistani military establishment in Khan’s removal from power. The convergence of US diplomatic pressure and the military establishment’s subsequent withdrawal of support for Khan created what observers have described as the perfect political storm.
Though General Qamar Javed Bajwa was the Army Chief at the exact moment of Khan’s removal in April 2022, the transition directly paved the way for the ascension of General Asim Munir to the post of Chief of Army Staff — the same officer whom Khan had previously removed from his position as chief of the Inter-Services Intelligence agency after a highly publicised falling out.
Background — US-Pakistan Tensions Under Khan
Under Khan’s premiership, the Biden administration had also requested territory for bases in Pakistan following the planned American withdrawal from Afghanistan — a request that was denied. In June 2021, then-CIA Director William J. Burns had travelled to Pakistan seeking a meeting with Imran Khan, but returned without obtaining either military access or a meeting with the Prime Minister.
Where Is Imran Khan Today?
Despite spending nearly three years in prison, Imran Khan has remained mentally resilient according to his sons Sulaiman and Kasim Khan. The former prime minister and Bushra Bibi are currently serving prison sentences in corruption-related cases. In a recent phone conversation, Kasim described his father as physically stable but more concerned about Bushra Bibi’s condition — “We asked how he is physically, but he’s quite dismissive of that stuff. He said, ‘I’m doing OK,’ and said his eyesight is getting a little better,” Kasim said.
What This Means
The release of this cypher has once again placed the circumstances surrounding Imran Khan’s removal at the center of national debate. For millions of his supporters, the document is validation of what they have long believed — that a sitting Prime Minister was removed through foreign pressure and internal conspiracy simply for pursuing an independent foreign policy.
The question Pakistan is now asking is simple: if the cypher was real, and the pressure was real — was justice ever served?
