ISLAMABAD: US ambassador Alice Wells is visiting Pakistan Tuesday, with bilateral relations and the Afghan peace process expected to be on the agenda.
Her trip is a follow-up to September’s visit from US Secretary State Mike Pompeo and his meeting with Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, ministry spokesman Dr. Mohamed Faisal tweeted.
Wells is also due to meet Finance Minister Asad Umar and a possible IMF bailout is expected to be discussed.
Pakistan’s economy is sagging under a current account deficit of $18 billion, mainly due to high import bills, insufficient exports and home remittances, and forex reserves are dangerously low.
The government has attempted to get funds from other Muslim countries, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Prime Minister Imran Khan and senior cabinet members were in China recently, hoping for a similar package from one of its biggest investors.
Pakistan had approached the IMF but, in August, Pompeo said: “We’ll be watching what the IMF does. There’s no rationale for IMF tax dollars, and associated with that American dollars that are part of the IMF funding, for those to go to bail out Chinese bondholders or China itself.”
Ties between Pakistan and the US have been under since January, following the announcement of a South Asia strategy by US President Donald Trump. Trump accused Pakistan of sheltering terrorists – a charge Pakistan denies.
Later in the year the Pentagon froze $300 million in aid “due to a lack of decisive actions” on Pakistan’s part to eliminate terrorists from the country. The freeze was raised during Pompeo’s visit.
Pakistan claims the money is not aid but a refund for expenses incurred during the war on terror and for its support of the US and NATO-led armed forces.
US Deputy Secretary of State visiting Pakistan
US Deputy Secretary of State visiting Pakistan
- Bilateral relations and Afghan peace process on the agenda
- Pakistan-US ties strained since January
Pakistan rejects Amnesty claims of Israeli spyware use, calls reports ‘disinformation’
- FO denies any link with Israel, says Pakistan has “absolutely no cooperation” on surveillance tools
- Islamabad accuses India of delaying clearance for relief aircraft bound for flood-hit Sri Lanka
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday rejected an Amnesty International report alleging the use of Israeli-made invasive spyware in the country, calling the findings speculative and misleading.
Amnesty’s investigation, published Thursday under the title Intellexa Leaks, cited the case of a Pakistan-based human rights lawyer who reported receiving a suspicious WhatsApp link in 2025. According to Amnesty International’s Security Lab, the link bore signatures consistent with Predator, a spyware product developed by Israeli manufacturer c
Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi dismissed the suggestion that Islamabad had deployed the tool or maintained any technological cooperation with Israel.
“These are all media speculations. These are all rumor-mongering and disinformation. There is absolutely no cooperation between Pakistan and Israel on anything, let alone a spyware or these kinds of tools. So, I would reject it quite emphatically,” he said at a weekly briefing.
Andrabi also accused India of obstructing humanitarian operations, saying New Delhi delayed flight clearance for a Pakistani relief aircraft carrying aid to flood-affected Sri Lanka.
“The special aircraft carrying Pakistan’s relief goods had to wait for 48 hours, in fact more than 48 hours, around 60 hours, while the flight clearance from India was delayed,” he said.
He added that the eventual conditional flight window was too narrow to be workable.
“The partial flight clearance which eventually was given after 48 hours was operationally impractical, time-bound just for a few hours and hence not operable, severely hindering the urgent need for the relief mission for the brotherly people of Sri Lanka,” Andrabi stated.
“Humanitarian assistance is like justice, if it is delayed, it is denied.”
Responding to India’s claim that clearance was granted within four hours, he said Pakistan has documentary proof contradicting New Delhi’s version.
On a separate question about reported delays in the arrival of a Turkish delegation aimed at mediating between Islamabad and Kabul, Andrabi said Pakistan welcomed Ankara’s initiative but was unaware of the cause of postponement.
“We stand ready to receive the Turkish delegation. That delegation has not arrived as yet. And I’m not aware of any schedule. Pakistan is ready to hold negotiations, discussions,” he said, adding that the delay may be linked to coordination with the Afghan side.
