Caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani on Wednesday told a senior Biden administration official that the general elections in Pakistan will take place in the stipulated timeframe as per the country’s Constitution.
Jilani spoke to Acting Deputy Secretary of State and Under Secretary for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland.
His assurance came against the backdrop of concerns that elections might be delayed in Pakistan given the fact that the Election Commission of Pakistan is currently busy undertaking a delimitation exercise under in accordance with the digital census.
According to the US State Department, Acting Deputy Secretary Nuland congratulated Foreign Minister Jilani on his appointment.
"Acting Deputy Secretary Nuland and Foreign Minister Jilani discussed the importance of timely, free and fair elections in a manner consistent with Pakistan's laws and Constitution," the US State Department said.
They discussed broadening and deepening the US-Pakistan partnership on issues of mutual concern, including Pakistan’s economic stability, prosperity, and continued engagement with the IMF.
Meanwhile, speaking to the media, the foreign minister confirmed his telephonic conversation with the acting US deputy secretary of state and said he informed her that the general elections in Pakistan would take place in the stipulated timeframe as per the Constitution.
He brushed aside the impression that the caretaker government was under pressure from the outside world regarding the elections. He also made it clear that there was no discussion on the internal matters during his interaction with foreign dignitaries.
Jilani, who previously served as foreign secretary and ambassador to Washington, said Pakistan and the US had been able to overcome challenges and their relationship now entered into a new phase.
He said Pakistan and the US have broader understanding on many issues, including Afghanistan. One of the indications of improvement in the relationship was a moratorium on critical statements against Pakistan by the US administration, according Jilani.
He termed the relationship with the US “extremely important”, saying the US is the largest trading partner of Pakistan. He said the volume of trade between the two countries touched $12.5 billion.
However, at the same time he said Pakistan views China as its “true friend”. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was a reflection of that friendship, according to Jilani. He said CPEC was not just a bilateral project but it was for the benefit of entire region. He said the stage was set for the second phase of CPEC.
The foreign minister said Pakistan would not get involved in bloc politics. There has been a consensus that Pakistan must not get embroiled in the US-China rivalry, he added.
Jilani also spoke about the importance of relationship with the European Union (EU), saying he was Pakistan’s Ambassador to Brussels when the GSP Plus scheme was negotiated.
The foreign minister highlighted the importance of the relationship with Gulf countries.
He said the recent initiative under the banner of Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) would help bring investment from Gulf countries.
To a question, Jilani without going into details said he would not have made public any confidential communication while referring to the cipher controversy where former prime minister Imran Khan was facing charges of leaking official secrets.
Former prime minister Imran Khan blamed the US and Pakistan's military for his ousting. The State Department statement on the call between Nuland and Jilani made no mention of Khan.
1719053250-0/BeFunky-collage-(5)1719053250-0-270x192.webp "electric shock for millions as tariffs soar")
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ