Drop Site News published what it described as the full Imran Khan Cypher Cable, reviving debate over the former prime minister’s claim that U.S. pressure preceded his removal from office in 2022.
The three-page document, identified as Cable I-0678 and dated March 7, 2022, details a Washington luncheon between Pakistan’s then-ambassador Asad Majeed Khan and U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu, according to the report.
The cable quotes Lu as saying that if the no-confidence vote against Khan succeeded, “all will be forgiven in Washington,” while also referring to U.S. concerns over Khan’s visit to Russia.
Asad Majeed Khan wrote in the cable that Lu could not have delivered such a strong demarche without White House approval.
The document carried the marking “Secret, No Circulation” and was sent to Pakistan’s top civilian and military leadership, including the prime minister’s secretary, the foreign secretary, the army chief and the ISI director general.
Drop Site reporter Ryan Grim said the outlet previously considered the document too risky to publish, but that the “risk equation has changed.”
Khan lost the no-confidence vote on April 10, 2022, about a month after the Washington meeting. U.S. officials have consistently denied any conspiracy to oust him, calling Lu’s remarks routine diplomatic engagement over Ukraine-related concerns.
The full publication has sharpened Pakistan’s political divide, with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf supporters calling it confirmation of foreign interference and opponents describing it as standard diplomacy.
