Tag: State Department

  • Donald Lu expresses concerns over Feb 8 election irregularities

    Donald Lu expresses concerns over Feb 8 election irregularities

    Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu has pointed out irregularities in the Feb 8 polls and said that the United States (US) is committed to making Pakistani democratic institutions stronger, Geo reported on Wednesday.

    Lu will attend a Congressional panel hearing about Pakistan today.

    The hearing titled ‘Pakistan after the Elections: Examining the Future of Democracy in Pakistan and the US-Pakistan Relationship,’ has been announced by the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee, where the assistant secretary will be a key witness.

    Donald Lu submitted his testimony on Tuesday to the Subcommittee, in which he pointed out a number of issues between the two countries and how US policy will look in Pakistan in the future.

    He mentioned that the State Department had issued a clear statement the day after the general elections in Pakistan last month, noting undue restrictions on the freedoms of expression, association, and peaceful assembly.

    He also said that the State Department issued a statement on the next day of polls last month, and it was clearly mentioned in the statement that there were restrictions on freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly.

  • ‘Cracks in the glass’; What does the US think about Maryam Nawaz as CM Punjab?

    ‘Cracks in the glass’; What does the US think about Maryam Nawaz as CM Punjab?

    The United States (US) state department spokesperson, Matthew Miller, said on Monday that the selection of Maryam Nawaz as the first woman chief minister of an important province Punjab is a “milestone in Pakistani politics.”

    “We look forward to cooperating with Pakistan more broadly on integrating women more fully into the country’s political life and economy, including through the US Pakistan Women’s Council, civil society, and other decision-making spaces,” Mathew Miller said in response to a question at his daily news briefing.

    “An inclusive Pakistan makes for a strong, prosperous country, which all Pakistanis benefit from, and so we are always pleased when we see cracks in the glass ceiling anywhere in the world,”  Miller stated.

    Maryam Nawaz was elected the first female Chief Minister of Punjab on the previous Monday.

  • US government official resigns over ‘provision of lethal arms to Israel’

    US government official resigns over ‘provision of lethal arms to Israel’

    A senior US State Department official has resigned from his position on Wednesday in the light of the Biden administration’s role in the Israel-Palestine escalation.

    Josh Paul, director of congressional and public affairs at the State Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, posted a letter on his LinkedIn account announcing his resignation and the reasoning behind it.

    While he clarified his stance on October 7 and deemed the Hamas attack on Israel as “a monstrosity of monstrosities,” he also stated that “I believe to the core of my soul that the response Israel is taking, and with it the American support both for that response, and for the status quo of the occupation, will only lead to more and deeper suffering for both the Israeli and the Palestinian people – and is not in the long term American interest.”

    “I cannot work in support of a set of major policy decisions, including rushing more arms to one side of the conflict, that I believe to be shortsighted, destructive, unjust, and contradictory to the very values that we publicly espouse”, he added

    In the latest developments following October 7, Israel has been more aggressive in its attacks in Gaza which has resulted in the killings of more than 3,300 Palestinians whereas Biden pledged to support Israel in its so-called right to defend through and through.

    “When I came to this bureau … I knew it was not without its moral complexity and moral compromises, and I made myself a promise that I would stay for as long as I felt … the harm I might do could be outweighed by the good I could do,” Paul acknowledged in his letter.

    “In my 11 years I have made more moral compromises than I can recall, each heavily, but each with my promise to myself in mind, and intact. I am leaving today because I believe that in our current course with regards to the continued – indeed, expanded and expedited – provision of lethal arms to Israel – I have reached the end of that bargain.”

    He also pointed out that “I fear we are repeating the same mistakes we have made these past decades, and I decline to be a part of it any longer.”

    HuffPost spoke to Paul following his resignation.

    “I’ve been surprised by how many have said, ‘We absolutely understand where you’re coming from, we feel similarly and understand’”, he said.

  • PM Khan to present ‘secret letter’ in parliament today

    PM Khan to present ‘secret letter’ in parliament today

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has decided to present a ‘secret letter’ before parliament, as the National Assembly (NA) session will resume on Thursday (today) after a recess of three days. The secret “threat letter” was shown to the cabinet members on a TV screen.

    PM Khan also called a selected group of TV anchors and informed them about the contents of the letter. However, the letter was not shown to them.

    National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaisar in a tweet said, “If the parliamentary leaders from the government and the opposition side agree, the issue of the sensitive letter can be discussed at an in-camera meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security.”

    Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry while speaking with Dawn said, “An in-camera session of the National Assembly or a joint sitting of parliament will be held in which the letter will be shared not only with the treasury benchers but also with those MNAs sitting on the opposition benches.”

    State Department says no US government agency or official sent a letter to Pakistan

    The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government confirmed on Wednesday that its allegation about a foreign conspiracy against the premier was based on a “diplomatic cable”.

    During the meeting with journalists, the media persons were informed that a Pakistani envoy was told by a senior official of the host country that they had issues with PM Khan’s foreign policy, especially his visit to Russia and the stance on the ongoing Ukrainian war.

    The Pakistani envoy was further conveyed that the future trajectory of relations between the two countries was dependent upon the fate of the no-confidence motion that the Opposition parties were then planning to bring against the premier. The envoy was warned of serious implications if PM Khan survived the no-trust vote.

    It was also reported that the cable was sent by Pakistan’s then-ambassador to the United States Asad Majeed Khan on the basis of his meeting with Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu.

    Meanwhile, Americans deny in private discussions that any specific message was delivered to the Pakistani envoy, says Dawn.

    Responding to questions from Dawn about the alleged letter and US involvement in the no-confidence motion against the PTI government, a State Department spokesperson said: “There is no truth to these allegations.”

    Dawn further quotes a discussion with a few diplomats in accordance with the letter.

    According to some diplomatic sources in Washington, the letter could be a diplomatic cable from Washington, drafted by a senior Pakistani diplomat. “The contents of the letter, apparently, are based on informal discussions between Pakistani and other officials,” one diplomatic source said.

    A Western diplomat thinks that it has happened because someone had to be scapegoated for the current political crisis and there could have been no better option than the United States.

  • US refuses to acknowledge claim that Pakistan involved in Taliban attack on Kabul

     The United States (US) State Department distances itself from former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s claim that 10-15,000 Pakistanis had joined the Taliban attack on Kabul, reported Dawn.

    US State Department spokesperson Ned Price, when asked to comment on Ghani’s claim, said, “I’m just not in a position to comment on that, to confirm those reports.”

    “If we have anything more, we’ll provide it,” said Price when asked if he would comment on another claim that the Taliban forces now in Kabul include foreign troops.

    “We’re enormously grateful to the huge network of countries that have provided critical assistance for our evacuation efforts,” said Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland.

    Praising the countries, she named Pakistan, Kuwait, Qatar, Turkey, and the UAE among the countries that supported the evacuation. She also named America’s key European allies – Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and others – “who have helped transit Americans and others to safety”.

    “Our close coordination with our allies and partners remains critical both on evacuation and relocation, but also as we begin to scope our ongoing relationship with the Afghan people and with the Taliban,” she said.