PAKISTAN parliamentarians, in a letter to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, have expressed strong concern over a recent letter from 62 US Congressmen, calling for re-evaluation of the US commentary on Pakistan’s political dynamics and urging the PM to address the external interference. Signed by 160 ruling alliance parliamentarians, including top leaders of major political parties, the letter argued that the US lawmakers’ appeal to President Biden amounted to “external interference”, which unfairly amplified the political narrative of a single party at the expense of Pakistan’s state institutions and other political groups.
This is an appropriate response to the move by the US Congressmen, who were apparently influenced either by social media or intensive lobbying by firms hired by a political party to influence power circles and opinion-makers in the United States. This aspect is also known to the US administration as one of its spokespersons categorically stated that the plight of the PTI leader was a judicial issue of Pakistan. We hope the points raised by Pakistani MPs will show the other side of the coin as they pointed out that Pakistan grapples with the challenges of the post-truth era, which have been further complicated by politics of cult-followership and polarization.
The legislators said gross misuse of social media as a tool for digital terrorism remains a proclivity to rouse unrest and threaten the state, while the lead role in this negative campaign is being unfortunately undertaken by dissident elements residing in the US and the United Kingdom. They also regretted the tendency of discrediting the electoral process adding attempts to drag other countries into the domestic electoral fray to satisfy a small segment of the electorate is ill-advised. In this regard they pointed out that a similar misuse of diplomatic communication for political advantage by the same caused one of the most serious crises in current history of Pakistan-US relations. The letter also contains recommendations to counter such propaganda and hopefully the Government will direct the diplomatic mission in Washington to engage the members of the Pakistani caucus in US Congress as well as signatories of the letter to highlight the correct perspective on the issue and caution them from falling prey to unsubstantiated political propaganda against Islamabad.
