Jalil Afridi
Washington DC: Deputy Spokesperson of the US State Department, Vedant Patel assured that the US wants to see a stable and prosperous Pakistan. Mr Patel made these remarks while answering questions put forth by The Frontier Post at a press briefing in the US State Department.
The Frontier Post acknowledged the fact that President Biden’s Press Secretary, Karine Jean Pierre, National Security Spokesperson, John Kirby and the US State Department have constantly said that they have no favorite in the politics of Pakistan and that the US wants to see a prosperous Pakistan. But The Frontier Post questioned what practical steps have been taken by President Biden in this regard because the President didn’t call any Pakistani leadership at the time of US withdrawal from Afghanistan and neither did the President call former Prime Minister, Imran Khan when he was shot several times. Vedant Patel said that he doesn’t agree with this notion and that Pakistan and US are cooperating on several fronts including trade, technology, agriculture and combating terrorism.
The Frontier Post also asked about the upcoming visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the United States and asked whether the US will raise the issue of Kashmir and atrocities being committed against the Muslims by Modi’s political party. Vedant Patel said that India was a strategic partner of the US and during the State visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the US, several areas of cooperation will be discussed and strengthened. It is pertinent to mention here that US President Joe Biden is being criticized by several news media outlets in the US for his weak foreign policy despite having decades of experience in foreign relations whereas some blame his poor health for not being very active on the international front.
A local Pakistani TV journalist asked about the safety of nuclear weapons in Pakistan and the closure of social media platforms, in reply to which Patel said that free flow of information is vital and it is the right of every citizen. —
