State Dept spox urges all political parties to respect rule of law
WASHINGTON
State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel clarified that former US ambassador to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad does not represent US policy, and asserted that the Afghan-born diplomat speaks in his “personal capacity”.
He was responding to a question raised by a Pakistani journalist about the perception that recent tweets by Khalilzad about the political situation in Pakistan reflect the views of the US government.
The journalist stated that there was a general sentiment in Pakistan that Khalilzad’s statements expressed the US government’s sentiments. The spokesperson quickly clarified that “any social media activity or comments or tweets” by the former diplomat were done in “his private capacity” as he did not speak for the administration.
The Pakistani journalist then asked about Patel’s opinion about the current political chaos in Pakistan as country’s Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah “issued death threats to former prime minister Imran Khan on public TV”.
“We have previously stated that any implication of violence, harassment, or intimidation has no place in politics,” Patel said. He encouraged “all sides” in Pakistan to “respect the rule of law and allow the people of Pakistan to democratically determine their own country’s leadership pursuant to their own constitution and laws”.
The US State Department Spokesperson maintained that it was not for him to speak or react to comments made by the interior minister. Earlier, Zalmay Khalilzad, warned the Pakistan coalition government regarding the potential consequences of ousting Imran Khan, the Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), from election campaigns.
“Mr Khalilzad is a private citizen, and any social media activity, comments, or tweets that you might reference, those are done in his private capacity, does not represent US foreign policy, and he does not speak for this administration,” Patel told reporters at his daily news briefing, as he set the record straight.
Asked about the political crisis in Pakistan, in which death threats were being held, the spokesperson urged all sides to respect the rule of law and allow the people to democratically determine their country’s leadership in accordance with the constitution and laws.
“So we have previously stated that any implication of violence, harassment, or intimidation has no place in politics, and as we do with our partners all around the world, we encourage all sides in Pakistan to respect the rule of law and allow the people of Pakistan to democratically determine their own country’s leadership pursuant to their own constitution and laws,” he added. — DNA
