ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday described a recent resolution adopted by the United States House of Representatives, demanding an impartial probe into the rigging allegation after the February 8 elections, as “unsolicited,” saying it wanted relations with the US that were based on “mutual trust and non-interference.”
The resolution, overwhelmingly adopted by US lawmakers this week, expressed concern over the state of democracy in Pakistan and called for freedom of media and speech.
Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar told the National Assembly on Thursday that Pakistan must display its unity and assert its sovereignty, while promising to bring a tit-for-tat resolution in the coming days.
Addressing the weekly news briefing, Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said Pakistan “deeply regretted” the resolution, which showed little understanding of the country’s politics and electoral process.
“We believe that bilateral relations between countries should be based on mutual respect and sovereign equality,” she said. “The unsolicited interference from the US Congress is therefore neither welcome nor accepted.”
“Pakistan would like to develop its relations with the United States on the basis of mutual trust and confidence and non-interference in each other’s domestic affairs,” she added. “We also hope that the US Congress would play a more constructive role in strengthening Pakistan-US bilateral relations by focusing on avenues of collaboration for mutual benefit of the relations.”
Pakistan’s foreign office also issued a statement after the US lawmakers adopted the resolution, saying its timing and context clashed with the improving dynamics of bilateral ties between the two states.
“Such resolutions are therefore neither constructive nor objective,” it added.
The US House voted 368-7 over the resolution that condemned “attempts to supress the people of Pakistan’s participation in their democracy” while asking the government to uphold their human, civil and political rights.
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY PASSES RESOLUTION
Pakistan’s National Assembly passed a tit-for-tat resolution on Friday against the one adopted by the US House. The resolution, moved by the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) lawmaker Shaista Pervaiz Malik, said it “deeply regrets” the one passed by the US House of Representatives.
The resolution said that the American vote reflects an incomplete and wrong understanding of Pakistan’s political and electoral processes.
“The House further regrets that the US resolution does not acknowledge the free and enthusiastic exercise of the right to vote by millions of Pakistanis in the recently held General Election,” the resolution read.
It reiterated Pakistan’s efforts to safeguard and uphold the principles of democracy and norms as enshrined in the constitution and as per the aspirations of the people .
“The resolution also draws the attention of the US Congress to more important issues such as the ongoing acts of genocide in Gaza, gross human rights violations in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, and state sanctions atrocities against minorities, especially Muslims in India,” it added.
