Webdesk: State Department Spokesman Vedant Patel clarified that Zalmay Khalilzad did not reflect the country’s foreign policy. Former US envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay did not speak for President Joe Biden’s administration, he stated.
Patel’s statement came in response to a question raised during a press briefing on Monday. Question was about Khalilzad’s recent statement addressing the political situation in Pakistan.
Khalilzad, who served as the special envoy for Afghan peace during the Trump and Biden administrations. Stated earlier this month that Pakistan was “underperforming and falling far behind” India.
“Pakistan is facing a political, economic, and security crisis. Despite immense potential, it is underperforming and slipping well behind its archrival, India. “It is time for serious introspection, bold thinking, and strategic planning,” he had stated.
The former US ambassador had also criticized Pakistan for imprisoning its political leaders. He specifically referred to the recent police attempts to arrest PTI Chairman Imran Khan. He had proposed “two steps” to address the country’s challenges. The first of which was to schedule general elections for early June in order to “avoid a meltdown.”
Patel stated at today’s press briefing that Khalilzad was a private individual in response to this issue.
“Any social media activity or comments or tweets that you might reference, those are done in his private capacity, does not represent US foreign policy, and he does not speak for this administration,” he continued.
In response to a second question about the political “chaos” in Pakistan, the spokesperson stated that violence, harassment, and intimidation have no place in politics.
“As we do with our partners around the globe, we urge all parties in Pakistan to respect the rule of law and permit the Pakistani people to democratically determine their own country’s leadership in accordance with their own Constitution and laws,” he added.
