On Thursday, the ousted Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, addressed a large rally of tens of thousands of people in the eastern city of Lahore. This is considered the largest public gathering in the history of Lahore, the second biggest city of Pakistan.
This was Imran Khan's third such huge public gathering. On April 16 he addressed a mammoth rally in Karachi, the financial capital of Pakistan. On April 13 he addressed a huge rally in Peshawar that was described as the largest public rally in the historic city.
Tellingly, Imran Khan has drawn wide support among masses as there are spontaneous rallies and demonstrations in his support. These rallies started on April 10, a day after Imran Khan's government was toppled in a vote of no-confidence motion by the opposition which spent millions of dollars to buy national assembly members to support their motion.
Imran Khan told the Lahore rally that he was out of power due to pursuing an independent foreign policy for Pakistan, which he said was not liked by international powers. He accused global forces of colluding with local "Mir Jaffars and Mir Sadiqs among others" to end his government at a time "when the economy was shooting, the exports were record high and all of this at a time when the coronavirus was wreaking havoc."
Mir Jafar and Mir Sadiq have become " symbols of treachery" in the Indian history for handing over their homelands [Bengal and Deccan] to the British Rule in the 18th century.
Imran Khan repeated his allegation that the US Assistant Secretary of State for Central and South Asia Donald Lu threatened Pakistan's ambassador to the US that he must be ousted from the power to get back in American good books.
He said that the rulers of Pakistan are being selected by the foreign countries who put their consciences on sale. The people are now aware of a selected government that is imposed by external powers, he said and added. "I will never accept this imported government, selected rulers and the gang of thieves at any cost."
"I was trying to make Pakistan's foreign policy independent. Whatever decisions we are making in the interests of the Pakistanis but not to appease someone else. Threats had also been given in the past and the rulers had surrendered on a telephone call."
Going into the details of why a "foreign conspiracy" was hatched against him, Khan said that the day he came into power his goal was to give an independent foreign policy to Pakistan.
"An independent foreign policy means that all the decisions will be made in the interest of the people. I cannot sacrifice my countrymen for a foreign power," Khan said.
He alleged that the incumbent rulers were always obedient when foreign powers gave them directives but he did not follow suit, so the foreign powers "did not like it".
Imran Khan said, "A foreign power questioned me to tell the reason for Russia's visit. The gas reserves are ending in Pakistan and Russia offered oil stocks at a 30 per cent lesser price. We could have sold petrol and diesel at 30 per cent lesser price."
"We were also eyeing for 2 million tons of wheat stock from Russia which was also offered at a 20 per cent lesser price. I could have reduced inflation through the imports from Russia."
"India, a close partner of the United States (US), was also purchasing oil from Russia. The US had also pressurized India to end ties with Russia but New Delhi rejected it by saying that it will maintain ties with Russia for its nation."
The former premier said that a foreign plot was prepared after Pakistan maintained friendly ties with China.
Imran Khan stressed that the incumbent government comprising of three stooges, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, and JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman fully supported the foreign conspiracy against him.
