In a recent meeting with prominent Pakistani-American Democrat Dr. Asif Mahmood, US Vice President Kamala Harris discussed the continuing political unrest in Pakistan.
At a time when the political crisis in the South Asian country is still acute, the meeting with the senior US official took place there.
Without going into specifics of the conversation, Mahmood confirmed the development in a conversation with Geo News. All he said was that he “met and talked to Vice President Kamala Harris.”
The meeting’s conversation, which focused mostly on Pakistan’s political situation, was clarified by two present sources.
Sources claim that Mahmood told Harris about the most recent cases against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran’s alleged human rights breaches and highlighted them.
Mahmood informed Harris about the detentions of PTI officials and leaders and asserted that Pakistan’s political freedoms and freedom of assembly are under jeopardy.
He bemoaned the fact that the Supreme Court’s ruling was rejected by the PDM-led government, which has instead made it difficult to campaign.
The sources told this reporter that he believed that holding free, fair, and timely elections was the only way to end the political and economic crises.
Brad Sherman, Ted Lieu, Eric Swalwell, Gregory Meeks, Ro Khanna, Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, Jacky Rosen, Mike Levin, and Linda Sanchez were among the US Congressmen Mahmood had earlier meetings with.
By setting up phone calls, he had also connected a number of them to Khan.
Brad Sherman, the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, issued a letter to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken based on his suggestions.
Sherman urged Blinken to “direct United States foreign policy towards a greater commitment to human rights and to use all US diplomatic channels to urge Pakistan authorities to investigate the alleged abuses and to hold accountable anyone who may be responsible” in the letter he sent.
Sherman has now made an effort to make it clear that his letter shouldn’t be interpreted as endorsing Khan.
