US intelligence documents were leaked on the Discord messaging platform, revealing conversations between Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his junior Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar on foreign policy matters. The documents were posted on social media websites and were believed to be the most serious security breach since the WikiLeaks website leak in 2010. The US obtained access to Khar’s memo, titled ‘Pakistan’s Difficult Choices’, which cautioned that Pakistan should avoid giving the impression of “appeasing” the West. Khar warned that the country can no longer attempt to maintain a middle ground between regional neighbour China and the US.
In the memo, Khar argued that preserving Pakistan’s partnership with the US would ultimately sacrifice the full benefits of its “real strategic” partnership with China. The leaked documents also included another document related to Pakistan dated February 17, which described Prime Minister Sharif’s deliberations with an unnamed subordinate about an upcoming UN vote on the Ukraine conflict. Pakistani officials declined to comment on the leaked documents.
The leak of US intelligence documents embarrassed the US by revealing its spying on allies, including Pakistan, and the purported military vulnerabilities of Ukraine. The leaked documents provide a rare glimpse into the private calculations made by influential regional powers and offer new insights into the obstacles that the Biden administration faces in securing global support for its efforts.
The story emerges at a time when Washington has already confirmed that it has no objections to Pakistan’s decision to import oil from Moscow. According to the Express Tribune newspaper, developing nations are recalibrating their positions as America faces potent new competition from China and Russia.
