Pakistan does not need ‘unsolicited advice’: FO on Khalilzad’s statement

• Foreign Office dismissed statement by Zalmay Khalilzad
• It said Pakistan does not need lectures or unsolicited advice
• Khalilzad said arresting Imran Khan will deepen crisis in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office dismissed a statement by former U.S. Special Representative on Afghanistan Reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, saying that the country did not need “unsolicited advice”.

“Pakistan does not need lectures or unsolicited advice from anyone on how to cope with the challenges we face today,” the Foreign Office spokesperson said in a statement.

The statement came in response to a series of tweets by Zalmay Khalilzad where he suggested “steps” and said Pakistan faced a ‘triple crisis of political, economic, and security’.

The FO spokesperson said, “As a resilient nation, we will come out stronger from the present difficult situation.”

Zalmay Khalilzad expressed concern over the situation in Pakistan and said arresting former prime minister Imran Khan will aggravate the crisis.

In the series of tweets, the US diplomat and foreign policy expert suggest holding general elections in June this year to avert a meltdown.

“Pakistan faces a triple crisis, political, economic, and security. Despite great potential, it is underperforming and falling far behind its archrival, India,” he said, adding that it is time for serious soul-searching, bold thinking, and strategizing.

Khalilzad expressed concerns over the situation in Pakistan by “cannibalizing” leaders, saying a wrong path has been set. He said arresting PTI chairman Imran Khan will worsen the situation.

“The sequential cannibalizing of its leaders through jailing, execution, assassination, etc. is the wrong path. Arresting Imran Khan will only deepen the crisis,” he said.

The US senior diplomat suggested setting a date for national elections in early June to avert a meltdown. He also urged political parties to hold dialogue to rescue the nation from the current crisis.

“Use this time for the main political parties to confront what has gone wrong and propose a specific plan to rescue and put the country on a path to stability, security, and prosperity, “ he added.

He said whichever political party wins the election will have a mandate from the people on what must be done.

Also Read

Arresting Imran Khan will worsen crisis in Pakistan: Khalilzad

Zalmay Khalilzad said arresting Imran Khan will worsen the crisis He suggested holding...