ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office on Wednesday dismissed a statement by former US Special Representative on Afghanistan Reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, and said that the country did not need “unsolicited advice”.
“Pakistan does not need lectures or unsolicited advice from anyone on how to cope with the challenges we face today,” the Foreign Office spokesperson said in a statement.
The statement came in response to a series of tweets by Zalmay Khalilzad where he suggested “steps” and said Pakistan faced a ‘triple crisis of political, economic, and security’.
The FO spokesperson said, “As a resilient nation, we will come out stronger from the present difficult situation.”
Earlier on Tuesday, Zalmay Khalilzad, the former US special envoy for Afghanistan, commented on the volatile situation in Pakistan, emphasising the need for strategic and thoughtful actions to address the nation’s political, economic, and security issues.
Khalilzad comments came a time when clashes between the police and supporters of former prime minister Imran Khan persisted for a second day outside his home in Lahore on Wednesday, a day after officers went to arrest him for failing to appear in court.
There have also been clashes between Khan’s supporters and police in other major cities, including Karachi, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Quetta and elsewhere in Pakistan.
Khalilzad cautioned against the arrest of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman saying that such a move would only exacerbate the crisis.
In a series of tweets, he advocated for a comprehensive plan to prevent the country from descending into chaos, arguing that the “sequential cannibalising” of political leaders through imprisonment, execution, or assassination is not a viable solution.
#Pakistan faces a triple crisis: political, economic, and security. Despite great potential, it is underperforming and falling far behind its archrival, India. It is time for serious soul-searching, bold thinking, and strategizing. Here are my thoughts:
[Thread]— Zalmay Khalilzad (@realZalmayMK) March 14, 2023
Instead, he urged the government of Shehbaz Sharif to focus on stabilising the country and promoting prosperity.
To achieve these goals, Khalilzad recommended that the government set a date for national elections in early June, allowing citizens to vote for the party that they believe can best address the country’s issues.
He further suggested that the government should prepare a comprehensive plan to rescue the country, ensuring its stability, security, and economic prosperity.
Separately, an Australian senator, David Shoebridge called on the government to “uphold the human rights of its people and respect freedom of speech and press freedom.”
While the rule of law must be respected, we urge the Government of Pakistan to uphold the human rights of its people and respect freedom of speech and press freedom.
The growing reports of violence are deeply concerning and violators of human rights must be held accountable.— David Shoebridge (@DavidShoebridge) March 14, 2023
“The growing reports of violence are deeply concerning and violators of human rights must be held accountable,” he said in a series of tweets condemning the violence against Khan.
— With AP
