Defense Minister Khawaja Asif has dismissed the possibility of pressure from the United States to release former Prime Minister Imran Khan, stating that the relationship between Pakistan and the United States is wider than any person, party or incident.
When he spoke on a private news channel Monday, Asif emphasized that the relationship between Pakistan-USA is not limited to specific events or personalities.
His remarks come in the midst of speculation that the new US administration, led by President Donald Trump, could influence Pakistan to release Khan after the statement of support for the former prime minister of some US Congress members on Social Media Platform X.
While some legislators, including Trump’s aid Richard Grenell, had sent in favor of Khan’s release, Asif pointed out that some of these legislators later deleted their tweets.
He further clarified that Pakistan is maintaining a “proper commitment” with the US government, which remains a crucial partner in areas such as security and fight against fighting.
His comments are following the recent visit of Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to the United States, where he met with key members in Trump’s foreign policy teams and other legislators.
NAQVI expressed optimism that the meetings would result in positive results, which emphasized the importance of strong ties between the two countries.
Asif also approached the growing wave of terrorism in Pakistan and attributed to the rising frequency and intensity of attacks for the use of “sophisticated” US weapons of militants from groups such as Tehrik-in-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Balochistan Liberation Army (bla).
He expressed hope that Pakistan’s armed forces and resilience would eventually overcome the terrorist threat.
He maintained that India is behind some of the terrorist events in Pakistan, referring to evidence that he handed over the Taliban authorities in Afghanistan in terms of operations involving Indian consulates in areas bordering Pakistan, such as Jalalabad.
