The foreign office on Monday sought to move on from the controversy surrounding the diplomatic cable, saying the National Security Committee based on the assessment of all the stakeholders has already concluded that there was no foreign conspiracy to oust the government of prime minister Imran Khan.
Foreign office spokesperson Asim Iftikhar began his press conference by stating that the briefing was taking place after a gap during which “a peaceful, democratic political transition has taken place in accordance with the Constitution of Pakistan”.
Since the briefing was taking place after a hiatus because of the tumultuous last few weeks on the political front, most of the questions were directed at the spokesperson on the “Lettergate”.
The spokesperson made it clear that the NSC had already reached a conclusion that there was no foreign conspiracy to seek the ouster of Imran Khan. He went on to add that since the matter had already been settled the focus should be on “diplomacy” and on “our important relations in the best interest of Pakistan”.
As the lettergate further damaged bilateral ties between the two countries, the spokesperson said the core focus should be on “improving relationships with our partners and the United States”.
“The US is one of the key partners of Pakistan and both sides are keen to build on the long standing relations and as well as further strengthen and diversify our relations,” he added.
He called for avoiding making “irresponsible comments” since there was an element of “trust and confidentiality” central to conducting effective diplomacy for a country and such episodes carry the potential of undermining the diplomacy and complicating the country’s external relations.
The spokesperson said Pakistan had the full capability to defend its interests as well as promote its stability and security. The statement clearly indicated that the new government wants to reset ties with the US.
On the claims by some PTI leaders that the classified communication sent by the Pakistani ambassador in Washington was withheld from the foreign minister, the spokes
