US Refutes Allegations It Seeks Removal of Pakistan’s Prime Minister

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - White House Director of Communications Kate Bedingfield on Thursday said there is "absolutely no truth" to allegations that Washington is working with the opposition in Pakistan to remove Prime Minister Imran Khan.

"There is absolutely no truth to that allegation," Bedingfield said during a press briefing.

In a live TV address to the nation earlier in the day, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan said that the US "threatened" him and is currently seeking his removal from office ahead of a no-confidence vote in the coming days, according to a report by The Guardian.

In the speech, Khan also said foreign powers wanted to oust him due to his visit to Russia.

Earlier, Fawad Chaudhry, Pakistan's federal information minister, claimed that the plot to destabilize Imran Khan's government through a "no-confidence vote" was "hatched" by the country's former prime minister, Nawaz Sharif.

On March 27, Khan reportedly told his thousands of followers at a public assembly in Islamabad that there were written objections against Khan's foreign policy, which were relayed to Islamabad's envoy to Washington by the Biden administration. The US State Department, on the other hand, has dismissed these reports, as well.

The Pakistani National Assembly, which met this week for a debate and vote on Khan's no-confidence motion, has been deferred till Sunday morning.

In the lower house, the motion gained support from 161 members. The voting will be completed within seven days of the motion being adopted by the house, according to the regulations of the parliament.

The opposition will need the support of 172 members of Pakistan’s parliament's lower house, out of a total of 342 members. The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, led by Imran Khan, has 155 members in Pakistan’s House of Commons.