Citing the cypher, The Intercept, in a report published earlier this month, said, 'The US State Department encouraged the Pakistani government in a March 7, 2022, meeting to remove Imran Khan as prime minister over his neutrality on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.' The publication, however, also stated it made extensive efforts to authenticate the document, but 'given the security climate in Pakistan, independent confirmation from sources in the Pakistani government was not possible'.