'Non-interference' will define Pak-US ties under Trump: FO

Pakistan expects that the United States, under president-elect Donald Trump, would continue to pursue bilateral relationship on the basis of "mutual respect and non-interference" in each other's domestic affairs.

"We see this as speculative reporting, and as I just said, Pakistan and the United States are old friends and partners, and we will continue to pursue our relations on the basis of mutual respect, mutual confidence and non-interference in each other's domestic affairs," Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch told reporters at her weekly briefing.

She was responding to questions about the possibility of newly elected President Trump putting pressure on Pakistan regarding the political matters.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf supporters are hopeful that Trump would take up the issue of human rights and imprisonment of their leader Imran Khan with the current dispensation in Pakistan.

Experts, however, are not sure if Trump is keen to discuss this matter at a time when he has plenty of other pressing issues to deal with.

Meanwhile, the Foreign Office spokesperson said Pakistan was looking forward to working with the Trump administration.

Trump swept the US presidential elections much to the surprise of many pundits who predicted a close race for the White House. The stunning comeback of Trump sent shockwaves across the globe even among the US allies which are wary of his unpredictable nature.

But despite those concerns, the world leaders were quick to congratulate Trump over his victory.

"The president and the prime minister of Pakistan have congratulated President elect Donald Trump on his election as the 47th President of the United States," the spokesperson pointed out.

"Our relations with the United States are decades old, and we look forward to further strengthen and broaden Pakistan-US relationship in all fields. As the Deputy Prime Minister said in a tweet yesterday, we look forward to fruitful and mutually beneficial cooperation between Pakistan and the United States," she added.

The spokesperson also announced on Thursday that Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif will visit the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to participate in the second Joint Arab-Islamic Summit being held in Riyadh on November 11.

The summit will be preceded by the preparatory session of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) on 10 November 2024. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar will participate in the preparatory CFM.

The summit is being convened at the initiative of the Government of Saudi Arabia, to discuss the situation in the Middle East. This will be a follow up to the Joint Arab-Islamic Extraordinary Summit held on 11 November 2023 in Riyadh to discuss the situation in Gaza and other occupied territories.

Heads of States and Governments and senior officials from Arab League and the OIC member countries are expected to participate in the Summit.

At the Summit, the Prime Minister will reiterate Pakistan's full support to the Palestinian cause. He will call for an immediate end to the genocide in Gaza; an urgent and unconditional ceasefire; immediate cessation of the ongoing Israeli adventurism in the region that is endangering the security of the countries in the Middle East.

Pakistan will also call for providing international protection for the Palestinian people; and for the establishment of an independent State of Palestine on the borders of 4 June 1967, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.