US takes up HR, press freedom issues with Pakistan: State Dept

WASHINGTON: The United States (US) State Department’s Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel has said that the US is closely monitoring the developments in Pakistan, adding that the issues of human rights and press freedom were taken up with Pakistan.

Reacting to political developments in Pakistan, the principal deputy spokesperson of the US State Department said in a statement that the United States wants to see the upholding of the democratic principles and law in Pakistan.

Vedant Patel added that the US Secretary Of State Antony Blinken believes in press freedom.

ARY News correspondent raised a question regarding the US’s response to the blockage of internet services in Pakistan. The spokesperson said that the Internet is also an important medium of communication.

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Protests sparked across Pakistan after the arrest of former premier and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan on Tuesday.

Earlier today, the Supreme Court of Pakistan termed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chief Imran Khan’s arrest “illegal” minutes after the PTI chief reached Supreme Court after a three-member bench ordered the authorities to produce him before the court.

The three-member bench comprising Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Justice Athar Minallah along with the CJP, while hearing the former prime minister’s plea against his arrest in the Al-Qadir Trust case, termed Imran Khan’s arrest by Rangers from inside the courtroom “illegal” and ordered his immediate release.

In April, the United States (US) State Department’s Spokesman Ned Price seconded the remarks of Director General (DG) ISPR Major General Babar Iftikhar and said that their stance over the conspiracy was clear and consistent.

The response from Ned Price came during the routine briefing at State Department after being asked by a journalist regarding the remarks of DG ISPR.

The journalist asked that the DG ISPR had said that they had no evidence to suggest that the United States had threatened or was involved in the conspiracy to seek the ouster of Imran Khan’s government. To this, the spokesman said: “We would agree with it.”

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To another question, the State Department’s spokesman said that their message has been clear and consistent that there is no truth whatsoever to the allocations that have been put forward.

“We support the peaceful upholding of constitutional and democratic principles, including respect for human rights.”

He said that they do not support, whether it’s in Pakistan or anywhere else around the world, one political party over another. “We support broader principles, including the rule of law and equal justice under the law.”

The State Department’s spokesman said that they have congratulated Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on his election by the Pakistani Parliament, and look forward to working with him and his government.