State dept spokesperson says US does not involve itself with domestic political questions
WASHINGTON DC
The US State Department has reiterated its earlier stance that claims by former prime minister Imran Khan regarding the diplomatic cypher that he had touted as a US conspiracy behind removal of his government last year, “are completely unfounded”.
During a press briefing on Wednesday, State Department spokesperson Mathew Miller was asked as to why the US doesn’t help out with resolving “this [cypher] whole issue”.
To this, the spokesperson replied that the “US does not involve itself with domestic political questions, and we do not take sides on political parties in Pakistan or any other country”.
When asked if he knew that for the sedition charges that Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah is levying on the deposed premier, the minimum punishment is the death sentence, Miller replied “I will take your word for it”.
Earlier in June, the US State Department had issued a similar response and said that claims by the PTI chief regarding the cypher were not “accurate”.
It is pertinent to note that the comments by Miller come a day after the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) kicked off its probe into the so-called ‘cypher-gate’ scandal, ensnaring former premier Imran into yet another investigation.
The development came as the federal government announced an official inquiry into the ‘cypher-gate’ case to initiate proceedings against the PTI chairman for violating the Official Secrets Act by making the classified document public.
According to officials, the FIA has issued summons to former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and former finance minister Asad Umar, calling the two senior PTI leaders to the FIA headquarters on July 24.
