The coalition government led by Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) both have been trying to influence the US and also have been trying to showcase thr public that the super power was with them.
While on the other side, there has been apparent silence from the US and it appears that the Biden administration has been distancing itself from taking sides.
The government has responded strictly to Zalmay Khalilzad, US special envoy, for his tweets. Khalilzad had suggested some things for Pakistan including adjustment of election date and avoiding political heated environment.
The latest U.S. report on human rights reiterates that the U.S. is closely monitoring the current political situation in Pakistan, but has no desire to intervene so far.
American scholars and lawmakers also refrained from becoming parties to the dispute, but unlike US officials, they had not been careful in their choice of words, describing the situation in Pakistan as worrisome.
Former US Special Representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad tweeted this week that the Government of Pakistan may ask the Supreme Court to disqualify Imran Khan from contesting elections and ban the PTI in the next few days.
Zalmay Khalilzad said that the Government of Pakistan decided to make Imran Khan the number one enemy of the state.
He expressed concerns that such measures would deepen the political, economic, and security crisis in Pakistan when investments planned by some countries had already been suspended.
As expected, Pakistan rejected Khalilzad’s comments as interference in Pakistan’s internal affairs, while the Foreign Ministry advised him not to give “unsolicited advice”.
Pakistani officials, however, did not respond to the US State Department’s human rights report, which was released in Washington on March 20 this week.
The report covered the first year of the current government as well as the last months of Imran Khan’s government, so both sides interpreted it to their liking, some circles saw it as an expression of support for the PDM government, while others tried to find a soft corner for Imran Khan in it.
