Key points
- Bill doesn’t reflect US official stance: Pakistan FO
- Says timing does not align well with the current positive dynamics of ties
- Legislative process requires multiple stages of approval
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Foreign Office on Thursday downplayed the Pakistan Democracy Act, a bipartisan bill introduced in the US House of Representatives, saying that the proposed legislation did not reflect the official stance of the US government.
“The bill being introduced in the House of Representatives is an initiative of a single individual legislator. This is not the position of the US government,” Pakistan Foreign Office Spokesman Shafqat Ali Khan said, according to Dawn Today.
“We believe that the timing and context of the bill does not align well with the current positive dynamics of Pakistan-US bilateral relations based on mutual respect, understanding and non-interference in each other’s affairs,” he said, adding that the legislative process in the US Congress required multiple stages of approval before any bill became a law, according to Dawn Today.
“Technically impossible”
According to Business Recorder, the response came amid questions about the Pakistan Democracy Act and reports of Pakistani citizens visiting Israel, which the FO firmly rejected as “technically impossible” under current laws.
During his weekly media briefing in Islamabad, Foreign Office Spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan was asked about these issues.
Addressing the proposed US bill—which targets Pakistani officials over alleged democratic and human rights concerns—Foreign Office spokesperson emphasised that the legislation contradicts the “positive dynamics” of Pakistan-US relations.
“Pakistan remains committed to constitutionalism, rule of law, protection of human rights, and freedom of expression, because it considers democracy as a vehicle for prosperity and progress as a nation,” a statement said, according to Business Recorder.
