US seeks consular access to Khadija Shah

Vedant says values its ties with Pakistan

WASHINGTON:

The United States has called on Pakistan to grant consular access to a prominent fashion designer with dual citizenship who was detained in a wave of protests.

The State Department said its diplomats have not had access to Khadija Shah, the founder of the luxury fashion brand Elan, who was produced before an anti-terrorism court following protests on May 9.

"We have asked Pakistani officials for consular access to her," State Department spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters, confirming Shah's dual nationality.

He indicated that more US citizens have been arrested. "Whenever a US citizen is arrested overseas, we stand ready to provide all appropriate assistance and we expect Pakistani authorities to respect all fair-trial guarantees owed to these detainees," Patel said.

Read US commitment to ‘green alliance’ highlighted

The spokesperson also brushed asides renewed allegations of a “US conspiracy” that led to the overthrow of the previous Pakistani government, saying Washington valued its ties with Pakistan.

“These allegations are categorically false; you have heard me say this before,” Patel told reports at his daily news briefing.

Replying to a question from the correspondent of a private Pakistani TV channel, he said, “Pakistani politics are a matter for the Pakistani people to decide, and for them to pursue within the auspices of their own constitution and laws.

“The US values our long-standing cooperation with Pakistan, and we’ve always viewed a prosperous and democratic Pakistan as critical to US interests – and that remains unchanged,” the spokesperson added. Agencies