U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Donald Lowe on Wednesday strongly denied the allegations before the House of Representatives that he or the U.S. was involved in the no-confidence motion against former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan. Any hand.
At the same time, he expressed the fear that his life is threatened by some people, due to which he is suffering from mental stress.
He said this while answering a question during a meeting of the sub-committee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Washington DC.
The committee scheduled a hearing on the subject of elections in Pakistan, democracy, and Pakistan-US relations in this context, and Donald Lowe, who heads the South and Central Asia Bureau, was called as a witness.
Donald Lowe said in his written statement that the recent elections in Pakistan were not transparent and should be investigated. At the same time, he said that he is not doing this for the first time, but because of the late release of the results of the US State Department elections, irregularities in the polling process and interference in political activities, apart from shutting down the internet facility. These points have already been raised in the passage.
The 12 members of the sub-committee asked questions in turn taking five minutes each. Opening the hearing, Committee Chairman Joe Wilson said that the United States believes in democratic values and the controversial results of recent elections in Pakistan are not good for the relationship between the two countries.
The meeting of the committee was called as a result of a letter written by more than 30 members of the Congress, criticizing the transparency of the elections.
Donald Lowe also faced tough questions from the committee. He was asked whether he had directly or indirectly participated in any activity to remove Imran Khan’s government. Donald Low answered in the negative.
The members of the committee also questioned whether Imran Khan’s removal from power was not the result of his closeness to Russia. To which once again Donald Low answered in the negative, but in the meantime the supporters of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) started chanting slogans of ‘Jhuta, Jhuta’.
Member of the House Rich McCormick warned that if anyone tried to stop the committee proceedings again, the proceedings would be suspended, after which the sloganeering PTI supporters were escorted out of the chamber by security personnel. .
Donald Lowe asserted that Pakistan is facing terrorism while its economy is deteriorating day by day. According to their written reply, 70% of Pakistan’s budget will be spent on paying interest on the loans taken, which was unanimously expressed concern by all the committee members.
In response to a question, Donald Lowe said that it is true that freedom of expression is facing censorship in Pakistan. He said that many people are doing self-censorship while many people are dealing with state censorship.
Rich McCormick said that if the elections were not transparent, can the Pakistani courts be trusted to properly investigate the issue? In response to this question, Donald Lowe said that this work belongs to the Election Commission of Pakistan and the judicial system there, while the actual decision will be made by the people of Pakistan. America can keep an eye on these matters.’
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He was also asked about recognizing the newly elected Pakistani government, which Donald Lowe did not answer openly. President Joe Biden has already congratulated the newly elected Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for winning the election.
Committee member Brad Sherman, who has spoken frequently on the issues of Pakistan, India and Kashmir, said that since May 9, 2023, many politicians have been in prisons, including some American citizens, who have not returned to the United States. his.
He asked that Imran Khan is not facing any ‘selective justice’? At the same time, he said that the US ambassador to Pakistan should meet Imran Khan in jail.
In response to another question, Donald Lowe said that the army has always interfered in Pakistan’s politics.
He further said that what is the justification that Dr. Shakeel Afridi, who provided information about a wanted person like Osama bin Laden, is still in jail in Pakistan?
At the same time, he said that Dr. Aafia Siddiqui is accused of trying to kill American soldiers. There was no murder. If the Pakistani state is ready to hand over Dr. Shakeel Afridi to America instead of him, why is this not being done? On this, the people sitting in the committee room started clapping.
Donald Lowe said that he has been appointed to the present post for two and a half years and till date no Pakistani official has made any demand from him to release Dr. Aafia Siddiqui in place of Dr. Shakeel Afridi.
Donald Lowe was also questioned regarding the resumption of work on the Pakistan-Iran gas pipeline project and the ban on illegal shipments of Iranian oil.
As soon as Donald Low spoke about the general elections of Pakistan and their results, the people sitting in the committee room would start shouting slogans against him.
Donald Lowe was also asked about India’s alleged attempt to kill the US-based head of the Khalistan movement, Gurptunat Singh Pannu, which he said was a serious issue between India and the US. While the Indian government has also been warned on this matter.
When the meeting ended, the PTI workers stood on their seats and started shouting slogans against Donald Lowe, while the demand for the immediate release of Imran Khan was repeated in the form of slogans.
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2024-05-07 12:36:01