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By Staff Reporter | May 18, 2026 A classified Pakistani diplomatic cable now at the center of one of South Asia’s most explosive political controversies has reignited global scrutiny over Washington’s alleged role in the removal of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, raising urgent questions about US foreign policy interference at a time when US-Iran
By Staff Reporter | May 18, 2026
A classified Pakistani diplomatic cable now at the center of one of South Asia’s most explosive political controversies has reignited global scrutiny over Washington’s alleged role in the removal of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, raising urgent questions about US foreign policy interference at a time when US-Iran war tensions continue to reshape the geopolitical landscape.
The document, identified as Cypher I-0678 and dated March 7, 2022, details a meeting between Pakistan’s then-Ambassador to Washington, Asad Majeed Khan, and Donald Lu, the US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs. According to the cable first published by investigative outlet Drop Site News in August 2023 Lu made unmistakably clear that Washington viewed ex-PM Imran Khan’s government unfavorably, warning of diplomatic isolation if Khan remained in power.
The leaked cable alleges that Lu conveyed a stark message: Pakistan would face serious consequences for Khan’s refusal to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and his visit to Moscow a trip Khan had made the very day the invasion began. Crucially, the cable suggests Lu promised that “all will be forgiven” if Khan were removed through a parliamentary no-confidence vote.
The timing is damning. The opposition formally filed a no-confidence motion on March 8, 2022 one day after the alleged meeting. Khan was ousted on April 9, 2022, marking the first time a Pakistani PM was removed through a parliamentary vote rather than a military coup.
Khan waved what he described as the cipher at a public rally on March 27, 2022, calling it proof of a “foreign conspiracy” against his government a claim that set in motion a legal battle that would see him imprisoned, then acquitted.
Pakistani authorities charged Khan and his Foreign Minister, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, with mishandling classified state secrets under the Official Secrets Act. In January 2024, a special court sentenced both men to 10 years imprisonment.
However, in a landmark ruling on June 3, 2024, the Islamabad High Court acquitted both Khan and Qureshi of all charges, overturning the convictions entirely. Legal analysts described the acquittal as a significant blow to the government’s case and a tacit acknowledgment of the proceedings’ political character.
For Khan’s supporters, the acquittal validated years of insistence that the cipher case was designed to silence Pakistan’s most prominent opposition leader rather than protect national security.
The United States has consistently rejected any suggestion of interference. State Department spokespeople have described the allegations as “absolutely false,” stating: “Allegations that the United States had interfered in internal decisions about the leadership of Pakistan are false, they have always been false, and they remain false.”
Washington acknowledged it had expressed displeasure over Khan’s Moscow visit but denied any active role in engineering his removal. The denial, however, has done little to quiet critics who point to the cable’s specificity and timeline as deeply incriminating.
The leaked cable has resurfaced with renewed relevance as Pakistan now positions itself as a mediator between Washington and Tehran during escalating US-Iran war tensions. With Pakistan serving as a back-channel diplomatic conduit, the cipher controversy raises uncomfortable questions: can a country allegedly subject to US political manipulation credibly serve as a neutral broker in one of the world’s most volatile standoffs?
Pakistan’s stakes in regional stability are substantial. The country imports over 85% of its oil and nearly all its liquefied natural gas from Gulf states, making any US-Iran military conflict economically catastrophic for Islamabad. Pakistan’s mediation effort, analysts argue, is driven as much by economic self-preservation as by diplomatic ambition.
For more background on the cipher case’s legal proceedings, see Al Jazeera’s detailed timeline of the cypher case.
The cipher controversy and ex-PM Imran Khan’s sustained insistence on US complicity has fundamentally altered how millions of Pakistanis view the United States. Public trust in Washington’s stated commitment to democratic processes has eroded sharply, complicating US efforts to build reliable partnerships in South Asia.
For observers tracking the US-Iran war risk, Pakistan’s internal political fractures are not merely a domestic story. They reflect the broader cost of perceived American interventionism in a region where every miscalculation carries nuclear dimensions.
As the cipher controversy continues to echo through Pakistani courts and public squares, one question endures: Did Washington cross a line and if so, what does that mean for every nation in America’s diplomatic orbit?
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