The Foreign Office on Thursday criticized a letter written by 62 U.S. lawmakers to President Joe Biden seeking the use of Washington’s “leverage” with Islamabad to secure the release of former prime minister Imran Khan, declaring it “contrary to inter-state conduct and diplomatic norms.”
Speaking to journalists during a weekly press briefing, Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch stressed that Pakistan values its bilateral ties with the United States. “We believe in constructive dialogue and engagement to address any concern,” she said.
“However, comments on Pakistan’s domestic affairs are contrary to inter-state conduct and diplomatic norms. We believe such letters and statements are counter-productive and not in line with positive dynamics of Pakistan-U.S. bilateral relations,” she continued. “These letters are also based on incorrect understanding of the political situation in Pakistan,” she said.
“We hope that the U.S. Congress will play a supportive role in strengthening Pakistan-U.S. ties and focus on avenues of mutual collaboration that benefit both our peoples and countries,” she added.
Signed by 62 members of the U.S. House of Representatives, the letter urges President Biden to use Washington’s “leverage” with Islamabad to secure the release of all political prisoners, including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan. It also called on Biden to prioritize human rights in U.S. policy toward Pakistan and proposed conditioning future engagements to the upholding of fundamental rights.
To another question, Baloch rejected observations made by the U.N. Human Rights chief claiming the enactment of the 26th constitutional amendment imperiled judicial independence. “We reject these baseless insinuations and advise the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to concentrate on actual and severe human rights violations, particularly where international human rights laws have been rendered ineffective or where draconian laws have been enacted to oppress occupied peoples,” she said.
The spokesperson said OHCHR’s observations were based on “misinformation and an inaccurate understanding of developments in Pakistan,” adding this had resulted in “unwarranted and misplaced conclusions.” Such statements, she maintained, were based on media reporting, social media posts and speculative analyses of a political nature.