WASHINGTON: Vedant Patel, the spokesperson of the US Department of State, has said during a press briefing that Pakistan is an ally of the US and is aware of its problems, and does not interfere in Pakistan’s internal affairs.
Vedant Patel was asked during the press briefing that while there is talk of prosecuting civilians in military courts in Pakistan, journalists are going missing, 80-year-old former officials are being detained, and America is a humanitarian. In response to this question, the US Department of State said that they are in touch with Pakistani officials to discuss important issues, issues that are essential for the security and stability of the US and the region. He clarified that a statement is not made on every diplomatic contact.
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Vedanta Patel added, “As I said earlier, we definitely want to see a prosperous and stable Pakistan, which is in the interest of the US-Pakistan relationship, and when we speak directly, all of our diplomatic contacts are open.”
It should be noted that after the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan in Pakistan, during the violent protests on May 9, after the attacks on military installations and the burning of them in the country, the protesters, especially Imran Khan’s party, PTI.
The government of Pakistan said that the civilians involved in the May 9 incidents will be tried in military courts. Human rights organizations such as Amnesty International have called the trial of civilians in military courts a violation of human rights.
However, the US side has only said that all matters should be dealt with according to the law and that the US does not support any individual or any party in Pakistan.
Apart from this, when the spokesperson of the US Ministry of Foreign Affairs was asked about Dr. Aafia Siddiqui, he refused to answer. In response to a question about the long sentence of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui imprisoned in the United States and whether to review her sentence on humanitarian grounds, the spokesperson of the US State Department said that this can only be answered by law enforcement officials.
When asked if it was possible to get the release of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui in exchange for the release of Dr. Shakeel Afridi that who is in Pakistan on charges of assisting the US authorities in connection with the presence of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan. In response, US State Department Principal Deputy Spokesman Vedant Patel said that in this case, too, only law enforcement officials can answer and that they cannot discuss assumptions.
