How a Leaked Cable Upended Pakistani Politics — And Exposed U.S. Meddling

Deconstructed

The Intercept

News

4.8 • 4.7K Ratings

🗓️ 18 August 2023

⏱️ 43 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Last week, Intercept journalists Ryan Grim and Murtaza Hussain published a bombshell investigation into Pakistan’s political crisis. Grim and Hussain were provided a Pakistani intelligence document by an anonymous source, outlining how the U.S. government pressured the Pakistani government to oust former Prime Minister Imran Khan. This week on Deconstructed, Grim and Hussain discuss their reporting, the leaked cable, and the fallout from the political crisis in Pakistan.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	I'm Ryan Graham, welcome to Deconstructed, and I'm Murtaza Hussein.
0:08.6	In the past year, widespread demonstrations have rocked Pakistan as supporters of former
0:13.0	Prime Minister Imran Khan continued to rally in his support.
0:17.5	Last year, Khan was ousted after no confidence vote in the Pakistani parliament.
0:22.9	As people have taken to the streets in support of Khan, the military has engaged in widespread
0:27.6	repression, leading to what many are calling the most serious political crisis in Pakistani
0:31.9	history.
0:33.4	Khan and his supporters have said that the US State Department supported and even encouraged
0:37.9	his ousting last year.
0:39.8	Khan has been pointing to a secret Pakistani intelligence document as proof of the US's
0:44.0	role in the crisis.
0:45.9	No one had access to it until now.
0:49.0	Ryan and I were provided the document by an anonymous source in the Pakistani military,
0:53.5	who said that they had no ties to Imran Khan or Khan's party.
0:57.5	Before we jump into it, some developments have taken place since we recorded this conversation.
1:02.4	Earlier this month, Khan was arrested and sentenced to three years in prison on corruption
1:06.5	charges.
1:07.6	Khan defenders dismissed the charges as baseless.
1:10.4	The sentence also blocks Khan, Pakistan's most popular politician from contesting elections
1:15.0	expected in Pakistan later this year.
1:17.7	Ryan and I discussed the developments in Pakistan, the US's role in the crisis, and the document
1:22.9	that we obtained.
	...

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