Growing friction between Washington and Islamabad
According to the report, in June 2021, then CIA Director William J. Burns travelled to Islamabad seeking Pakistan’s cooperation for counterterror operations after the American exit from Afghanistan.But Khan reportedly refused to meet Burns and later publicly rejected the possibility of allowing US military bases inside Pakistan for operations in Afghanistan. The report noted that then US President Joe Biden had also not directly engaged with Khan despite repeated requests from Islamabad.
Drop Site News claimed Pakistan’s military leadership increasingly believed Khan’s foreign policy positions were ‘isolating’ the country diplomatically, especially at a time when Islamabad’s ties with both Washington and Gulf allies were under strain.
According to the report, Pakistan’s military leadership in July 2021 allegedly hired a former CIA station chief in Islamabad as a lobbyist in Washington without informing the then prime minister. This signalled the growing differences between Khan and the military.
Moscow visit
The report said ties worsened further after Khan travelled to Moscow in February 2022 for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the same day Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine.
According to the report, senior American officials had urged Pakistan to cancel the visit before the invasion. Pakistan later abstained from a United Nations resolution condemning Russia, a move that reportedly added to Washington’s frustration.
Central to the controversy was a classified diplomatic cable linked to a March 7, 2022 meeting between Pakistan’s ambassador to the US, Asad Majeed Khan, and senior US diplomat Donald Lu. According to the report, the cable recorded concerns from the American side over Khan’s policies.
“I think if the no-confidence vote against the Prime Minister succeeds, all will be forgiven in Washington because the Russia visit is being looked at as a decision by the Prime Minister. Otherwise, I think it will be tough going ahead,” the document mentioned, citing Donald Lu.
He also said, as per the document, “I think isolation of the Prime Minister will become very strong from Europe and the United States.”
Khan later publicly waved the cypher at political rallies and alleged it was evidence of a foreign-backed conspiracy to topple his government. The US and Pakistan’s military have repeatedly denied those allegations.
No-confidence vote and political crackdown
Khan was removed as prime minister on April 9, 2022, after losing a no-confidence motion in Parliament. Pakistan’s military establishment backed the political transition that followed.
The report said Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), later faced a sweeping crackdown. PTI lost its electoral symbol ahead of the 2024 elections while several party leaders and workers were arrested or forced to leave politics.Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, were jailed in multiple corruption, contempt and national security-related cases. According to Drop Site News, several cases against Khan later came under scrutiny in courts, though new charges continued to emerge.
The report also referred to allegations made by Khan from prison about what he described as a ‘London Plan’. According to Khan, Asim Munir met former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in London after being removed as ISI chief in 2019.
He alleged that this meeting was the groundwork for an alleged arrangement involving political, military and judicial figures that eventually led to Khan’s ouster and the crackdown on his party.
Munir was appointed Pakistan’s army chief in November 2022 in a process that, according to the report, involved consultations with Nawaz Sharif. Within months, Khan was arrested while Nawaz Sharif returned to Pakistan in 2023 and many of his convictions were overturned. By February 2024, Shehbaz Sharif had returned as prime minister.
Military leadership and foreign policy shift
According to the report, Pakistan’s strategic posture changed significantly after Khan’s removal. Islamabad reportedly emerged as a ‘quiet but significant’ supplier of ammunition and military equipment to Ukraine through intermediaries and US defence channels.
The report claimed American backing for Pakistan’s International Monetary Fund (IMF) assistance programme was tied to continued strategic cooperation. In July 2023, the IMF approved a $3 billion standby arrangement for Pakistan.
Drop Site News further stated that Pakistan’s military leadership under former Army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa later worked to repair ties with Washington. After Bajwa’s retirement, Munir emerged as the country’s most influential figure.
The report also revisited debates around Pakistan’s nuclear programme and claims that senior military officials sought to reassure Washington over missile and strategic concerns during high-level meetings in 2022.
Cooling China ties under Munir
According to the report, Pakistan’s long-standing strategic partnership with China slowed considerably under Munir. Several major China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects were either delayed or stalled while financial disputes and repeated attacks on Chinese workers added strain to ties between Islamabad and Beijing.
Drop Site News also claimed Pakistan privately explored allowing China to expand its presence at Gwadar port but negotiations reportedly turned tense after Islamabad sought broader military guarantees and strategic support including assistance linked to its nuclear deterrence capabilities.
According to the report, China ultimately rejected some of those demands.
Pakistan’s new strategic alignment
The report said Pakistan’s military-backed establishment simultaneously moved closer to Washington and Gulf allies after Khan’s removal. In 2025, Islamabad signed a mutual defence pact with Saudi Arabia, an agreement Khan’s government had reportedly resisted earlier.
According to Drop Site News, Pakistan also expanded engagement with the Trump administration through economic, security and diplomatic initiatives, including rare earth agreements and cryptocurrency-linked partnerships involving US firms.
The report also said Islamabad attempted to project itself as a mediator in the ongoing US-Iran tensions but those efforts are facing criticism from sections of the American political establishment who accuse it of ‘double-dealing’ by allegedly providing safe harbour to an Iranian jet.
