Desi Talk

www.desitalk.com – that’s all you need to know 18 US ˨ SOUTH ASIA May 29, 2026 US Says Pakistan’s Politics “A Matter For Pakistani People” After Leaked Cable Alleges Pressure To Remove Imran Khan T he United States State Department has said that Pakistani politics are “a matter for the Pakistani people to decide” following the publication of a classified diplomatic cable that alleges a senior American diplomat told Islamabad that “all will be forgiven” inWashington if then-Prime Minister Imran Khan was removed from office. The response, provided on background and attribut- able to a State Department spokesperson, came after ANI sought comment on the publication by US investigative outlet Drop Site News of Cable I-0678, a document that has sat at the centre of Pakistani political controversy for more than four years. The spokesperson did not address the specific contents of the cable or the alleged remarks attributed to the American diplomat concerned. Reported by Dropsite, Cable I-0678, stamped “se- cret” and marked “no circulation”, dated 7 March 2022, documents a luncheon meeting between Pakistan’s then ambassador inWashington, Asad Majeed Khan, and Donald Lu, the US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs. According to the cable, Lu said Khan’s Moscow visit had caused serious concern in Washington. That visit took place on 24 February 2022 — the very day Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. According to the cable, Lu allegedly told the Pakistani am- bassador thatWashington’s concerns regarding Khan’s government could be resolved if the prime minister were removed through a parliamentary no-confidence vote. The phrase “all will be forgiven” was later cited by the Pakistani ambassador in reference to the discussion. In the assessment section of the telegram, Ambassa- dor Khan warned his superiors that Lu “could not have conveyed such a strong demarche without the express approval of theWhite House” and concluded that the American diplomat had “spoken out of turn on Pakistan’s internal political process.” Khan had alleged earlier in 2022 a “conspiracy” was afoot to remove him from power. During a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) rally in Islamabad, he pulled out a document which he said proved the conspiracy Khan was ultimately removed as Prime Minister by a no con- fidence vote in Parliament on April 9, 2022. However, even then, those claims had been rebuffed by the US, with the then US Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu rebuffing the cypher allegations, denouncing them as a “conspiracy theory, lie, and complete falsehood.”. - ANI H uman RightsWatch has called on the Chinese government to release the 11th Panchen Lama, Gendun Choki Nyima, and his parents, who were allegedly forcibly dis- appeared by Chinese authorities on May 17, 1995, and have not been seen publicly for the past 30 years. According to the HRW report, the Pan- chen Lama and Dalai Lama have histori- cally played crucial roles in recognising each other’s reincarnated successors. With the current Dalai Lama set to celebrate his 90th birthday on July 6, concerns regarding his succession and the future of Tibetan Buddhism are becoming increas- ingly significant. “The Chinese government kidnapped a 6-year-old and his family and have disap- peared them for 30 years to control the selection of the next Dalai Lama and thus Tibetan Buddhism itself,” HRW quoted China researcher Yalkun Uluyol as saying. He urged governments and interna- tional actors to pressure China to reveal the whereabouts of Gendun Choki Nyima and his family and ensure their freedom. As cited by the HRW report, Chinese authorities forcibly disappeared Gendun Choki Nyima on May 17, 1995, just three days after the Dalai Lama officially rec- ognised him as the 11th Panchen Lama. The report added that even displaying photographs of Nyima or the Dalai Lama remains prohibited in Tibet. Following his disappearance, Chinese authorities allegedly compelled another group of monks to identify Gyaltsen Norbu as the official reincarnation of the Panchen Lama. HRW stated that Gyalt- sen Norbu’s parents were reportedly members of the Chinese Communist Party. The report further stated that authorities detained Jadrel Rinpoche, the abbot of Tashi Lhunpo Monastery, who supervised the search for the Panchen Lama’s reincarnation, along with more than 30 monks from the monastery. According to the Dalai Lama, Jadrel Rinpoche’s current whereabouts and con- dition remain unknown. HRW noted that in 2015, twenty years after the disappearance, Chinese authori- ties claimed that Gendun Choki Nyima was “living normally” and “did not want to be disturbed by anyone.” The organisation also alleged that China has steadily tightened control over Tibet, including the Tibet Autonomous Region and Tibetan autonomous areas in Qinghai, Sichuan, Gansu, and Yunnan provinces. According to HRW, following widespread protests across Tibet in 2008, Chinese security forces increased restric- tions across the region, maintaining heavy surveillance and limiting access and travel to Tibetan areas. The HRW report stated that even mild criticism of government policies can reportedly lead to arbitrary detention, en- forced disappearance, long-term impris- onment, prosecution, and in some cases, torture. Authorities have also allegedly implemented intrusive surveillance sys- tems, enforced the use of Mandarin Chi- nese in schools, relocated Tibetans from traditional villages into state-built settlements, and imposed severe re- strictions on international travel and communication with relatives abroad. According to HRW, Chinese authorities intro- duced regulations in 2007 restricting the recognition of reincarnated Tibetan Buddhist leaders without state approval. The rules reportedly require reincarnations to be born within China and mandate the use of the “Golden Urn” system for select- ing high-ranking lamas, an 18th-century lottery-based method that Tibetans had rarely used before the Chinese Commu- nist Party made it compulsory. The report further highlighted that since 2009, there have been 160 recorded cases of self-immolation involving Tibet- ans, resulting in the deaths of 127 people. HRW also stated that since 2012, nearly all Tibetan monasteries have been placed under the direct supervision of Chinese government officials stationed perma- nently in Tibet. Since 2018, Tibetan monks and nuns have reportedly been required to meet the “Four Standards”, including demonstrat- ing “political reliability” and loyalty during “critical moments”. The report suggested these measures are linked to ensuring support for the Chinese government’s eventual selection of the next Dalai Lama and other reincarnated religious leaders. The HRW report noted that five United Nations human rights mandates, includ- ing theWorking Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances and the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, had earlier condemned the con- tinued enforced disappearance of Gendun Choki Nyima and criticised Chinese regu- lations governing reincarnation in Tibetan Buddhism. HRW defined enforced disappearance under international law as the detention or arrest of a person by state authorities followed by a refusal to disclose the indi- vidual’s fate or whereabouts. The report added that several govern- ments and international bodies, including the European Parliament, have repeatedly urged China to provide information re- garding the Panchen Lama’s whereabouts. Human RightsWatch also called on China to permit unrestricted access to Tibetan regions for UN monitors, inde- pendent human rights organisations, and international media. The organisation had urged govern- ments with significant Buddhist popula- tions, including India, Japan, South Korea, Mongolia, and Taiwan, to publicly mark the 30th anniversary of the Panchen Lama’s disappearance and support the religious rights of Tibetans. “The 30th anniversary of the Panchen Lama’s disappearance provides govern- ments an important opportunity to urge the Chinese government to end its de- cades of repression of the Tibetan people,” Uluyol said, according to the HRW report. - ANI HRW Urges China To Reveal Whereabouts Of 11th Panchen Lama Missing For 30 Years REUTERS/AKHTAR SOOMRO Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, gestures as he speaks with Reuters during an interview, in Lahore, Pakistan March 17, 2023.