Engage with Protesters Respectfully: US Tells Pakistan

The United States on Monday urged the Pakistani government to engage with protesters in the country respectfully.

State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller was responding to a question during a daily press briefing. “We want to see any protests be peaceful, and we want to see the Government of Pakistan, as is true with any government around the world, engage with peaceful protests respectfully and deal with them peacefully,” Miller said.

When asked about Pakistan’s request for modern weapons to combat terrorist groups, Miller said he had no updates to share. “I don’t have anything to announce at this time, but as we have said many times, we continue to stand with Pakistan in its fight against terrorism and violent extremism,” he added.

Responding to another question about whether Secretary Blinken discussed the indictment of businessman Adani and an Indian agent during his meeting with Indian Foreign Minister Jaishankar, Miller declined to provide specifics. “I am not going to get into private diplomatic conversations. But, as you’ve heard us say before, we regularly raise that case and its concerning implications in our discussions with Indian counterparts,” he said.

When asked to comment on President-elect Donald Trump’s threatening statements toward U.S. partners and allies, Miller stated it would be inappropriate to comment on the policies of an administration that had not yet taken office. “We have one president at a time. I’m glad to stand here and answer questions about President Biden’s foreign policy. There will be a new State Department spokesperson on January 21 who can address President Trump’s foreign policy,” Miller concluded.