Principal Deputy Spokesperson for the US Department of State Vedant Patel on Tuesday said that the United States has asked the Pakistani government to grant consular access to fashion designer Khadija Shah.
During his weekly press briefing, the spokesperson was asked if the Biden administration was aiding the release of American citizens arrested after the May 9 protests, Patel stated that the US stood “ready to provide all appropriate assistance”.
“We expect Pakistani authorities to respect all free – all fair trial guarantees owed to these detainees,” he said.
When asked about designer Khadija Shah, who is a US citizen and was detained following the May 9 protests, the spokesperson said that the US was following her case and asked “Pakistani officials for consular access to her”.
“As we – I’ve previously said, we always urge foreign governments to allow and follow consular notifications for procedures when American citizens are detained. I believe Ms Shah is a dual national, and so we continue to engage directly with the Government of Pakistan on this,” he detailed.
Patel, however, maintained that he had “nothing additional to report” on consular access to Shah.
