ISLAMABAD: Washington on Tuesday advised all parties in Pakistan to refrain from violence and respect the rule of law in the country as former prime minister Imran Khan gears up to resume his anti-government long march to the capital from Thursday.
Imran Khan has blamed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and intelligence official Maj. Gen. Faisal Nasser. He has provided no evidence for his claim, which was strongly denied by the government and military. The former prime minister has asked for all three persons to step down and has called on the chief justice to hold an independent inquiry into the incident.
Last week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned Khan’s shooting and wished him a speedy recovery. Khan has announced that his long march to the capital will resume on Thursday, stoking fears of violence across the country and clashes with law enforcers.
In his weekly press briefing, US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price condemned the assassination bid on Khan, adding that “violence has no place in politics.”
“We’re concerned about these reports of violence. We call on all parties to refrain from violence, harassment, intimidation, and to respect the rule of law,” Price said.
“We are deeply committed to a democratic and peaceful Pakistan, and we stand with the people of Pakistan,” he added.
In response to another question, Price said Washington was concerned at what had transpired in Pakistan over the past couple of days.“They should express their disagreements peacefully, using – employing universal rights – freedom of expression, freedom of assembly – but violence is never the answer,” he added.
When asked about cases registered against ARY News owner Salman Iqbal, Price said the US routinely raises press freedom concerns with Pakistan and other countries around the world. “We’ll continue to have those conversations with Pakistani authorities,” he added.
Khan, a strident critic of Washington’s War on Terror, has accused the US of orchestrating a parliamentary vote to oust him from power in April. Washington and the government of PM Sharif have vehemently denied the charges.
Khan has refused to recognize the coalition government and intends to pressurize it with his “long march” to force it to declare snap elections.