Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) swiftly criticized the recent meeting between former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and US Ambassador to Pakistan, Donald Blome, labeling it as "a significant intrusion into Pakistan’s internal matters."
Surprisingly, the party's response lacked a similar level of outrage over a letter from eleven US members of Congress, affiliated with President Biden’s Democratic Party. The letter urged the suspension of security assistance to Pakistan pending an inquiry into alleged human rights abuses, listing Imran Khan among those whose rights were supposedly violated.
Key Takeaways:
- PTI's condemnation of the meeting with Nawaz Sharif.
- US Congress letter calling for a probe into human rights abuses in Pakistan.
- PTI's engagement with lobbying firms in the US.
- Analysis of the influence of US Congress members on foreign policy.
- Assessment of PTI's lobbying efforts and expenditures.
- Discussion on the perceived American control over Pakistan's decisions.
- Reality check on the diminishing role of the US in Pakistan post-Afghanistan withdrawal.
- Shift in the quality of US-Pakistan ties and the current state of the relationship.
- Conclusion on the need for Pakistan's leaders to address complexities and avoid anti-American rhetoric.
About the Author:
The author, a former ambassador of Pakistan to the US, is currently a Diplomat-in-Residence at the Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy in Abu Dhabi and a Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute in Washington DC.
