There won’t be any US pressure for Imran’s release: Khawaja Asif

ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif ruled out any possibility of pressure from the United States for the release of incarcerated former premier and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, saying that ties between the two countries were broader than any party, person or incident.

"Canvas of Pakistan-US relations is very broad," said Asif speaking on Geo News programme ‘Capital Talk’ on Monday, adding: "[…] it is not limited to a party, person or an incident."

He was responding to a question if the new US administration led by President Donald Trump could exert pressure on Pakistani authorities to release the former premier after a group of American Congressmen posted in favour of Khan on X earlier.

It is noteworthy to mention here that the embattled opposition party pinned hope on the Trump administration and its team to exert pressure on the incumbent government for the release of its jailed founder and other political prisoners.

Without naming any American legislators, the defence minister further said that people should also notice that some of them [US lawmakers, including Trump's aide Richard Grennel] had also deleted their tweets. He concluded his remarks by saying that Islamabad has "proper engagement" with the US government.

His statement came after the visit of Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to the United States last month where he held meetings with Trump’s foreign policy team and key lawmakers and claimed that it would yield "positive results very soon" as both sides were enjoying very good ties.

According to a state-run news agency, the interior minister, during his visit to the US, attended a special dinner reception at the Lincoln Liberty Hall in Washington, where he met with American senators, members of Congress, and prominent figures, including Senator Tommy Tuberville, Member of Congress Ken Calvert and others.

Asif, while expressing his views on the wave of terrorism, reiterated that "sophisticated" US weapons in Afghanistan were being used by militants of banned outfits — Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) — in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

"Due to the use of this sophisticated weaponry, the intensity and frequency of attacks have increased with higher number of fatalities." He, however, expressed optimism that the nation and its armed forces will overcome the menace of terrorism by their resilience.

He also claimed that India was behind the terrorism incidents as he handed over evidence to Taliban authorities in Afghanistan against Indian consulates' operations in areas, including Jalalabad, bordering Pakistan.