Khawaja Asif rules out US pressure for Imran Khan's release

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has dismissed the possibility of pressure from the United States for the release of former prime minister Imran Khan, stating that the relationship between Pakistan and the US is broader than any individual, party, or incident.

Speaking to a private news channel on Monday, Asif stressed that Pakistan-US relations are not confined to specific events or personalities.

His remarks come amid speculation that the new US administration, led by President Donald Trump, could influence Pakistan to release Khan following statements of support for the former premier from some US Congress members on social media platform X.

While some lawmakers, including Trump’s aide Richard Grenell, had posted in favour of Khan’s release, Asif pointed out that some of these lawmakers later deleted their tweets.

He further clarified that Pakistan maintains a "proper engagement" with the US government, which remains a crucial partner in areas such as security and counterterrorism.

His comments follow the recent visit of Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to the US, where he met with key members of Trump’s foreign policy team and other lawmakers.

Naqvi expressed optimism that the meetings would result in positive outcomes, underscoring the importance of strong ties between the two countries.

Asif also addressed the growing wave of terrorism in Pakistan, attributing the increasing frequency and intensity of attacks to the use of "sophisticated" US weapons by militants from groups like the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA).

He expressed hope that Pakistan's armed forces and resilience would ultimately overcome the terrorism threat.

He maintained that India is behind some of the terrorism incidents in Pakistan, citing evidence he handed over to the Taliban authorities in Afghanistan regarding operations involving Indian consulates in areas bordering Pakistan, such as Jalalabad.