A petition seeking an inquiry into a "letter" brandished by Prime Minister Imran Khan at the PTI's March 27 power show, purportedly containing evidence of a foreign conspiracy against the government, was filed in the Supreme Court on Wednesday.

In the PTI’s public meeting in Islamabad on Sunday, the premier had pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and waved it at the crowd, claiming it was evidence of an “international conspiracy” being hatched to topple his government.

“Foreign funding is being used to change the government. Money is coming from abroad and people inside the country are being used. Some of them are unaware they are being used and some are intentionally using this money against us,” he had alleged.

However, the opposition believes the premier is using the letter as an excuse to woo the government's allies and PTI dissidents in the face of the no-confidence motion against him.

Read: Abbasi urges PM Imran to share 'threat letter' in parliament and NSC

The petition, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, was filed by SC Advocate Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta. The Federation of Pakistan through the Law and Justice Division secretary has been named as the respondent.

The petitioner said that it was an "extraordinary situation" which may cause a law and order situation to develop in the country by causing hatred against friendly countries.

He added that the situation required immediate steps to ease the "mental agony" of the common Pakistani caused by the development.

"The gravity of the situation needs the attention of the Supreme Court of Pakistan to take immediate step[s] to find out the truth about [the] subject matter," the petition said.

"It is, therefore, respectfully prayed that the respondent may be directed to deliver the 'letter' to the concerned civil and military authorities to investigate this threat/letter [...]," it added.

'PM can only show ‘threat letter’ to CJP'

On Tuesday, the government said it intended to take the issue to the apex court, and claimed that PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif was a part of the conspiracy.

In a joint press conference, Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar and Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said the prime minister had agreed to present the letter to Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial.

“If someone has doubts, the prime minister says if necessary, and for the people’s satisfaction, he is ready to present the letter to the chief justice of the SC, as he enjoys a good reputation,” Umar said, adding that only three to four people, including him, had seen the letter.

“The letter has been shared with the top civil and military leadership and only two or three cabinet members,” he added.

The letter was written and dated prior to the day the opposition submitted its no-trust motion against the prime minister to the National Assembly. “It was mentioned in the letter that a no-confidence motion will be moved against the prime minister. I myself have read the letter many times,” the minister claimed.

Umar, who is also the PTI’s secretary general, alleged the principal character behind this plot against the government was Nawaz , who was facilitating the international establishment from London, while the senior leadership of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) could also be knowingly involved in the conspiracy.

When asked why the government was not presenting the letter in parliament, he said: “Due to the sensitivity of the letter, it cannot be shared with the over 340 members of parliament, but just to satisfy the people, the prime minister has agreed to show it to the most reliable person with good reputation, the CJP,” he added.

Terming the letter a threat, the minister claimed it clearly said that if the no-confidence motion did not succeed, and PM Imran remained in office, it would have unfortunate repercussions.

Umar maintained that the letter focused on Pakistan’s foreign policy, which made it clear that it was linked to foreign elements. It also states the senior leadership of the PDM was in contact with those foreign elements, the minister alleged.

He said after these ‘realities’ were unearthed, except a few, almost all the MNAs, who were unknowingly becoming part of this “international plot”, would distance themselves from the motion.