US Warned Pak Of Isolation If Imran Khan Wasn't Removed: Report

The meeting between the Pakistani ambassador to the US and two US State Department officials has been a matter of intense scrutiny, controversy, and speculation in Pakistan over the past year and a half, as the former Pakistan PM and his military and civilian opponents struggled for power.

The US State Department in a meeting on March 7, 2022 encouraged the Pakistani government to remove Imran Khan as the country's Prime Minister over his neutrality in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, US-based news outlet The Intercept reported citing a classified Pakistani government document. 

The meeting between the Pakistani ambassador to the US and two US State Department officials has been a matter of intense scrutiny, controversy, and speculation in Pakistan over the past year and a half, as the former Pakistan PM and his military and civilian opponents struggled for power.

The political struggle further escalated on August 5 when Khan was sentenced to three years in prison on corruption charges, according to The Intercept report. However, Khan's supporters have denied the charges, terming them baseless. The decision announced by the court also blocks Khan from contesting polls expected in Pakistan later this year.