Islamabad, 6 March 2023 (GNP): On Thursday, the US stated the arrest warrant issued by a court against Imran Khan, the leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), is an internal affair of Pakistan and that the Pakistani people should be questioned about them.
Ned Price, the Spokesperson for the State Department, emphasized during his routine press conference that the United States wants Pakistan to follow democratic, constitutional, and legal values peacefully.
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Imran, PTI chairman and former Prime Minister, was given non-bailable arrest warrants previously this week by the District and Sessions Court in Islamabad for his persistent absence from court appearances in the Toshakhana (gift repository) case.
When Ned Price was questioned at the State Department briefing about the arrest warrant against Imran, considering his party members’ allegations that the move was political victimization.
“These are questions for the Pakistani people. These are not questions for the United States,” he said. “As I’ve said before, we support the peaceful upholding of democratic, constitutional, and legal principles around the world, including in Pakistan,” he added.
The problem of Afghan refugees living in the nation also drew requests for Price’s opinion. “We are talking to our Pakistani counterparts about this issue. We have ongoing conversations about this with our Pakistani counterparts, the spokesperson said.
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He said, “We encourage all states to maintain their respective duties regarding Afghan refugees or asylum seekers and to prevent them from returning them to locations where they could risk persecution or torture.”