WASHINGTON: The Principal Deputy Spokesperson at US Department of State Vedant Patel has made it clear that the US had nothing to do with Zalmay Khalilzad’s remarks about the political climate in Pakistan.
His remarks came after repeated tweets by Zalmay Khalilzad, former US special representative for Afghanistan, in which he urged upon the political actors to pay heed to the saner voice and avoid political turmoil.
Also read: Zalmay Khalilzad warns Imran Khan’s arrest will only “deepen crisis”
Within a span of week, Zalmay Khalilzad posted tweets, warning that the arrest of Imran Khan will only deepen the crisis being faced by Pakistan, and that the crisis in the country would only deepen if if the government goes ahead with its plan to declare PTI Chairman Imran Khan as its enemy number one.
Also read: Zalmay Khalilzad warns of deepening crisis if Khan declared Enemy No 1
Vedant Patel said “Mr. Khalilzad is a private citizen, and any social media activity or comments or tweets that you might reference, those are done in his private capacity, does not represent US foreign policy, and he does not speak for this administration.”
When asked to comment about recent political happenings in Pakistan, he said “any implication of violence, harassment, or intimidation has no place in politics, and we encourage all sides in Pakistan to respect the rule of law and allow the people of Pakistan to democratically determine their own country’s leadership pursuant to their own constitution and laws.”
