Former US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation and a prominent guest speaker at Islamabad Security Dialogue Zalmay Khalilzad called on Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa at GHQ on Friday, the military said.
During the meeting, matters of mutual interest, regional security situation including Afghanistan and bilateral cooperation in various fields were discussed, military’s media wing, the ISPR, said in a statement. Commenting on Afghanistan’s situation, the army chief once again stressed upon the need for global convergence and sincere efforts to avert a looming humanitarian catastrophe. He also thanked Khalilzad for attending the Islamabad Security Dialogue.
The visiting dignitary appreciated Pakistan’s role and efforts towards regional stability. He pledged to play his role for further improvement in diplomatic cooperation with Pakistan at all levels, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said. The ex-US envoy expressed his gratitude for being given an opportunity to attend the Islamabad Security Dialogue.
A day earlier, in separate briefings on Thursday, the US State Department and the White House said there was “no truth” to allegations by Prime Minister Imran Khan that the US had threatened the Pakistani government via a letter, hours after the premier doubled down on allegations of a foreign conspiracy against him in an address to the nation.
In his address to the nation on Thursday night, Imran Khan named the United States as he spoke of a conspiracy to topple his government by inciting a political campaign to remove him from office. “Well, we are closely following developments in Pakistan, and we respect, we support Pakistan’s constitutional process and the rule of law,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said at a briefing. “But when it comes to those allegations [of the letter], there is no truth to them.”
In a separate briefing, when asked about Imran Khan’s allegation that the US was “working with the opposition to remove him from power,” a White House spokeswoman said: “There is absolutely no truth to that allegation.”
