ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf’s (PTI) senior leader Fawad Chaudhry held a meeting with US Ambassador to Pakistan, Donald Blome, at his residence in Islamabad, which was confirmed by the PTI leader in a statement on Friday.
The meeting reportedly took place five or six days ago. The meeting focused on the worsening human rights situation in Pakistan, according to a tweet by Chaudhry.
Great to meet Donald Blome the U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan at our place.#Pakistanzindabad pic.twitter.com/xm5NBAkRuf
— Hiba Fawad Chaudhary (@HibaFawadPk) April 27, 2023
During the meeting, Chaudhry informed the US officials of the PTI’s concerns regarding the “misuse of anti-terrorism and blasphemy laws by the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)-led government against political opponents.”
The meeting comes as the PTI seeks to mend ties with the US after initially accusing the United States of toppling the Imran Khan-led federal government in April last year.
Imran Khan accuses US of regime change operation in Pakistan
For a long time, former prime minister Imran Khan had been claiming that the US backed the regime change operation in Pakistan because it wanted to have military bases in the country and use the country once again to meet its foreign policy objectives in the region and beyond. However, in November last year, Imran Khan took a U-turn on his long-standing position of blaming the US for regime change conspiracy and the ouster of his government in April last year.
The meeting between Chaudhry and Blome indicates a possible thaw in the PTI’s relationship with the US, which could lead to future cooperation between the two countries. The PTI’s concerns about the human rights situation in Pakistan and the misuse of anti-terrorism and blasphemy laws are significant issues that require attention from the international community, including the US.
