Embattled Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan rejected opposition calls for his resignation on Thursday and accused the US of attempting to destabilize his government ahead of a Sunday parliamentary no-confidence vote.

Opposition parties in Pakistan's legislative National Assembly, or lower house of parliament, filed a combined no-confidence vote against Khan earlier this month, alleging that he mismanaged Pakistan's economic and diplomatic policy.

The 69-year-old former cricketer declared Thursday night in a national address that he would not retire and resist foreign intervention, rejecting his opponents' claims of misrule.

"The voting is scheduled for Sunday. Whatever the outcome, I will be stronger as a result, and I will prevent this scheme from succeeding at all costs, "Khan stated.

In what looked to be a slip of the tongue, the Pakistani leader identified the United States as the source of a "memo" that Khan claimed demonstrated the existence of a "foreign conspiracy" sparked by his visit to Russia on the day President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine.

"We got a message from America — oh, not America, I mean a foreign country I can't name," Khan remarked during the live televised address.

"They claim to be enraged with Pakistan, and they have stated that they will forgive Pakistan if Imran Khan loses a no-confidence vote. However, if the vote fails, Pakistan will face severe consequences, "Khan said, citing the memo's text.

According to journalists working for Pakistan's mainstream news outlets, the message was conveyed to Islamabad's outgoing ambassador to Washington on March 7, a day before the opposition introduced the no-trust motion in parliament.

"They [foreigners] were aware of the vote of no confidence before its introduction [in parliament]. This indicates that they [the opposition] maintained contact with outsiders, "Khan said, verifying the telegram's delivery date to Pakistan's ambassador. He stated that the purported plan was intended to penalize him for advocating for Pakistan's independence in foreign policy.

'There is no truth.'

Opposition leaders promptly dismissed Khan's charges as unfounded, claiming they sprang from his frustration over what they thought would be an inevitable defeat. Washington also acquitted itself of the charges.

"When it comes to these allegations, there is no truth to them," State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters during a routine briefing.

"We are keenly monitoring the situation in Pakistan. We appreciate [and] support the constitutional process and the rule of law in Pakistan "Price has been added.

Khan addressed the nation following the chairing of an emergency meeting of Pakistan's national security committee, which includes the country's top civilian and military authorities, to review the "threatening" note.

"The committee expressed grave concern at the communication, terming the language used by the foreign official as undiplomatic," the prime minister's office stated in a post-meeting statement.

The meeting found that the communication "amounted to blatant interference in the internal affairs of Pakistan by the country in question, which was unacceptable under any circumstances."

According to the statement, Pakistan "will issue a strong demarche to the country in question both in Islamabad and in the country's capital through proper channels in keeping with diplomatic norms." both in Islamabad and the country's capital.

In a late-night statement, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry announced that "The requisite demarches have been made through diplomatic channels." It made no mention of the country.

According to analysts, the event is expected to damage Pakistan's already precarious ties with the United States.

"The U.S.-Pakistan relationship will take a hit from events of the last few days," tweeted Michael Kugelman, a Wilson Center expert on South Asian politics in Washington. "Relations have not been particularly strained in recent months – uncertain and uncomfortable, but not in crisis. The disclosures, hyperbole, and accusations that have been pushed into the public sphere in recent days will likely put things back a bit."

Khan's political difficulties

Around two dozen members of Khan's ruling party have defected. Other important coalition partners have abandoned the government and joined the opposition, leaving the prime minister with a 172-vote majority. That is the majority he requires to survive the 342-member legislative assembly's no-confidence resolution.

Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party won the 2018 general election but fell short of a majority, requiring Khan to create a coalition government with the assistance of political partners.

Due to what detractors refer to be direct and indirect military interference, no Pakistani prime minister has ever served an entire five-year tenure. The military has staged multiple coups in Pakistan, resulting in decades of totalitarian government.

Khan's demise would occur more than a year before the next general election in the country. It would be the first time an elected chief executive has been removed from office by a vote of no confidence.

Pakistan's Shah has long opposed the United States' war on terrorism, which began in neighboring Afghanistan two decades ago to apprehend the masterminds of September 11, 2001, assaults on American cities.

Khan reiterated his criticism in his speech, claiming that Pakistan entered the US war at the expense of tens of thousands of lives and billions of dollars in economic losses but received no recognition from Washington for the sacrifices.

"Has anyone said, 'Thank you, Pakistan,' for what we did?" Khan raised the question during Thursday's address.

He has defended his visit to Putin, claiming that it was scheduled well in advance of the Ukrainian assault.

"European leaders, too, visited Russia. However, Pakistan is asked, 'Why did you leave?' as if we are their servants, "'He stated.

The Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N), led by self-exiled Nawaz Sharif, who served as Prime Minister three times, and the Pakistan Peoples Party, conducted jointly by former President Asif Ali Zardari and his son, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, are the two main opposition parties leading the campaign to destabilize the government.