Lettergate: ISPR DG confirms there wasn’t any conspiracy

ISLAMABAD: The Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Major General Babar Iftikhar, in his press conference on Thursday, confirmed The News report of April 6 headlined 'No evidence of conspiracy against Imran govt'.

The News had reported that the diplomatic cable referred to as a “threatening communication” was a fact but there was no evidence of a “conspiracy”. It was reported by this newspaper that the “conspiracy” issue linked with the “threatening communication” from the US State Department, was discussed in the National Security Committee meeting but because there was no evidence to substantiate this serious allegation, the committee restricted itself only to the issue of a demarche to the US.

There was a consensus in the security committee meeting to issue a demarche to the US for what it had said about the PTI government. The civilian side had raised the issue of a conspiracy but the military side insisted that there is no evidence and it could not be declared a 'conspiracy' on the basis of conjectures.

It was, however, unanimously decided by the committee to issue the demarche because what was conveyed on behalf of the US administration was both inappropriate and offensive to Pakistan.

In diplomatic affairs, issuing a demarche is quite a routine affair, the source had explained to The News. The ISPR DG confirmed what was reported by The News. The military spokesman’s confirmation on the one hand dismissed the PTI’s narrative of a US “conspiracy”, which the party believed was hatched to remove the IK government and, on the other hand, it also rejected the-then opposition’s (now government’s) view that there was no such diplomatic cable or it was a fake letter.