Is Washington leading a conspiracy against him? .. The relationship between Pakistan and the United States and the location of Imran Khan in it

ISLAMABAD -

The accusations made by Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan to foreign parties of supporting and inciting the Pakistani opposition to vote of no-confidence against his government topped the political crisis in the country.

With the onset of the crisis in recent weeks, Imran Khan hinted at the existence of an "American plot" against his government.

He said the no-confidence vote was "part of a US-led conspiracy to remove him from power", which Washington denies.

On Tuesday, US State Department spokesman Ned Price renewed the US denial, who said that "these allegations are absolutely untrue", and that the United States supports the supremacy of the constitution and democratic principles, not a political party in Islamabad, according to the Pakistani newspaper Al Ummah.

Simultaneously, Imran Khan announced that he would personally lead night-time demonstrations for a week against what he described as an "American plot" to overthrow his government.

In addition to a demonstration of his supporters against the opposition in the capital, Islamabad.

This comes at a time when the political crisis is still at its sharpest after the competent court on Tuesday postponed ruling on the constitutionality of the deputy speaker's decision to stop the vote of no-confidence in Khan's government, claiming "the existence of an external conspiracy."

These developments and linking them to the "conspiracy" raised controversy about the nature of the dispute between Washington and Islamabad, and the future of relations between them, which have always witnessed fluctuations and tensions, the most recent of which was during the era of former US President Donald Trump, who accused Pakistan of not playing its role in the fight against terrorism.

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan (Reuters)

Imran Khan approach or the approach of Pakistan?

The recent crisis and Imran Khan's accusation of the United States of being behind it by supporting opposition parties, and his announcement of receiving threats or warnings from Washington, raised questions about whether these allegations reflect an individualistic approach to the politically beleaguered man, or his statements are merely an attempt to get out of his government's political crisis.

Does Imran Khan receive support from the military and security establishment in Islamabad so that it can be said that this is the approach of Pakistan as a state?

The statements of the Pakistani army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa a few days ago, raised doubts about this, as local and foreign media reported statements in which he said that Pakistan should look for other sources when the West refuses to provide it with defense equipment.

According to the Pakistani newspaper, "Al-Akhbar International", this statement came in response to a question by an American journalist, about the army chief's view of security cooperation between China and Pakistan in the next decade.

At the outset of his speech, General Bajwa said that the United States should review its policies in the region.

But he stressed that Pakistan does not believe in the policy of camps, and seeks to expand its relations with both Beijing and Washington, and that bilateral relations with friends are not at the expense of relations with other countries.

Not a unilateral approach

In this context, Hudhayfa Farid, a political and strategic analyst, says that those who contemplate the army commander's statements, realize that the recent tension with the United States does not result from a unilateral approach on the part of Imran Khan, but rather takes place in agreement with the military establishment.

Farid told Al-Jazeera Net that the army commander's statements were clear and explicit that the West in general did not stand with Pakistan and support it, especially in its security and military needs, and in return, all support was directed to India.

According to the analyst, even Imran Khan himself has stated more than once that he is not against the United States, nor against the West, not even against India, but against the American Western policies in the region, which express a clear bias towards India at the expense of Pakistan.

Analysts say that relations between Pakistan and the United States have been strained since the latter's withdrawal from Afghanistan (Reuters)

decline and decline

For his part, political analyst Fazal Bangash said that bilateral relations have witnessed a decline since the US withdrawal from Afghanistan at the end of last summer, and that the US administration was internally divided over looking at relations with Pakistan.

Bangsh added to Al-Jazeera Net, that Pakistan is dissatisfied with US policies, especially in the way it deals with Pakistan's regional movements, especially in Afghanistan, as well as in its conflict with India.

Going back a bit, specifically after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, and the US requesting Pakistan to build an American military base to monitor the situation in Kabul, Pakistan absolutely refused.

Bangsh says that this was not the opinion of Imran Khan alone, but it was mainly the decision of the army, and it was stated by Khan, who also rejects US policies in the region.

Hostile tone and strong relationships!

On the other hand, political analyst Rayatullah Farooqi believes that Imran Khan has no credit to show in the upcoming elections, "so he needed something in his election campaign that would enable him to rally and demand votes."

"In all the speeches he gave in the last month, he couldn't mention a single achievement of his government. As such, he created an anti-American tone in his campaign."

Farooqi told Al Jazeera Net that Imran Khan's campaign would not make a big difference in Pakistan-US relations "because the Pakistani political establishment (an expression called the country's traditional approach) controls Pakistan's foreign policy."

Farooqi cited an opinion poll conducted by Pakistan's Gallup, in which 64% of citizens rejected Imran Khan's "claim" of a foreign conspiracy against him.

Foreign policy expert Muhammad Mahdi agrees with Farooqi, saying that the Pakistani military has strong ties with the United States, and that Imran Khan's accusations are personal statements.

Mahdi told Al Jazeera Net that "Imran Khan and his party are doing this because they have nothing else to say to people, and that is why he is using anti-Americanism to his advantage."

The positions of the Pakistani parties differ, but an important part of them corresponds to the United States and its positions (Reuters)

Political forces and Washington... consensus and tension

Over the past decades, a number of political parties have governed Pakistan in civilian governments, in addition to military governments that had strong relations with the United States.

While the years of military rule witnessed conflict in Afghanistan, Pakistan's role in it was consistent with Washington's.

Over the other years, both the Pakistan People's Party and the Pakistan Muslim League came to power more than once, and relations with the United States were also good.

But it became tense with the PTI taking over more than once, whether during the former Trump era or the current Biden era.

In this context, analyst Fazl Bangash says that the relations of the PPP are 100% good with the United States, and slightly less than the relations of the Muslim League, while the PTI has a clear vision that the United States should recognize the sacrifices of the Pakistani people and army in the war on terrorism. And stop accusing Pakistan of supporting it.

The PTI is demanding that Washington give Pakistan the status of an ally and a sovereign state that it grants to others, "instead of taking the country only to fight ad hoc battles against terrorism", according to Bangsh.

The Jamiat Ulema-ul-Islam, led by Maulana Fazlur Rahman, who is considered a prominent opposition leader against Imran Khan, aligns with the PTI regarding relations with the United States.

In the opinion of analyst Hudhayfa Farid, Imran Khan and the PTI have relations with the United States, but they have been strained by the current conflicting foreign policies of both countries, and it is possible to return to better levels depending on the strategic interests that may arise between them in the future, if Imran Khan remains in Political life.

With his expectation that Pakistan will head to early elections, journalist and political analyst Javed Rana believes that it will witness various election campaigns, and that the main issue that will be present in all electoral programs and will be widely focused on is Pakistan's foreign policies, which will reflect the parties' orientations in their relations with the United States. .