U.S. President-elect Donald Trump will be good for bilateral ties between Pakistan and the United States, said former prime minister Imran Khan on Wednesday.
In a stunning victory, Trump was elected the 47th President of the United States, defeating Democratic candidate Kamala Harris. His election will see him return to the White House after having lost the previous election to incumbent President Joe Biden. In his victory speech, Trump vowed to “end wars,” and reiterated his promises of stringent border controls and a desire to work for the betterment of Americans.
In a statement posted on his official X account, the incarcerated Khan congratulated Trump on his victory. Maintaining this reflected the “will” of Americans “against all odds,” he added: “President elect Trump will be good for Pak-U.S. relations based on mutual respect for democracy and human rights.”
The brief message concluded with Khan hoping Trump would “push for peace, human rights and democracy globally.”
Earlier, PTI leader Ali Muhammad Khan told Geo News that Khan had conveyed to the party leadership that he felt Trump’s victory could alleviate “negativity” toward Pakistan that he attributed to the outgoing Biden administration. Imran Khan has repeatedly accused the Biden administration of orchestrating his ouster through a vote of no-confidence, though both the State Department and multiple meetings of Pakistan’s National Security Council have denied this.
According to Ali Muhammad Khan, the PTI’s overseas chapter believes that Trump’s swearing-in will “make things easier for Imran.”
Apart from the former prime minister, various other Pakistani leaders have also congratulated Trump on his victory. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in a posting on X, he said he looked forward to “working closely” with the incoming administration to further strengthen and broaden Pak-U.S. ties.
Similarly, former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari congratulated Trump on his win, as did Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.