United States (US) Ambassador to Pakistan Donald Blome, in an interview with The News, said there is “absolutely no truth” in the allegations of regime change in Pakistan and said that he is “very much hopeful that the countries can get past this and get back to important work”.
He said, “We want to see an independent, prosperous and strong Pakistan. That’s what we believe is in our interest and in the interest of the region. As for the allegations, there is absolutely no truth in that. We have spoken to them, myself, and in Washington.”
To a question by the newspaper about the possibility of Imran Khan coming into power again, and the US reaction to it, the US ambassador said that his country “Would work with whatever government the Pakistani people select”.
On the matter of Imran Khan’s demand to hold an inquiry into the cipher issue, the ambassador was of the view that it is not his position to talk about whether the inquiry should be made or not. During the interview, Bloom revealed that he had not met Imran Khan.
The ambassador said it’s important to clarify that the US, in no way, asks Pakistan or any other country to “Choose a single economic partner, bloc or anything else like that”.
Furthermore, Blome credited the government for securing the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) deal and termed it a “significant accomplishment”.
Talking about Pakistan’s debt, the ambassador said that Pakistan does not have an enormous amount of debt with the US in particular. “So, the Paris Club debt is a relatively small amount. It is how the US would be working with Pakistan to defer payments,” he stated.
However, he reiterated that US wants to help Pakistan to navigate through this very difficult period
Blome also dismissed any talk about his country using Pakistan air bases.
‘We want to build and reset these relations back to normal: PM Shehbaz Sharif
At the US embassy, where Bloom was also present, Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif expressed hope to reset US-Pakistan relations.
“I want to say this very sincerely today that we want to build and reset these relations back to normal on the basis of trust, respect, and mutual understanding,” he declared.
On Thursday (September 29) a diplomatic reception was held at the US embassy in Islamabad to commemorate the 75 years of relations between Pakistan and the US.
“As I said, there will be a lot of what your [US] side will want to say but as long as we renew this friendship with sincere and serious dialogue, I can assure you that nothing will go wrong,” Shehbaz Sharif said.
The Pakistani premier stressed that it is time for the two countries to move forward and find ways to warm up the relationship to the same degree as it was in the past.
The prime minister also recalled that during his visit to New York, he met US President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken who assured him of support for the flood-affected people.
