Pakistan FO summons US envoy for registering protest over ‘threat letter’

Islamabad: Pakistan has lodged a strong protest with the top US diplomat for interfering in the internal affairs of the country.

In a statement, Foreign Office Spokesperson Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said that the acting US Chargé d’affaires was summoned to the Foreign Office to lodge a strong protest over the interference in the internal affairs of Pakistan. “Pakistan has handed over the protest note to the acting US diplomat regarding the language used by a foreign official during a formal communication.”

Earlier, Prime Minister Imran Khan had chaired the 37th meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC) at Prime Minister's House. The meeting had attended by Federal Ministers of Defence, Energy, Information & Broadcasting, Interior, Finance, Human Rights, Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, Services Chiefs, National Security Adviser, and senior officers.

The National Security Adviser had briefed the committee on the formal communication of a senior official of a foreign country to Pakistan’s ambassador in the said country in a formal meeting, which was duly conveyed by the Ambassador to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The committee had expressed grave concern at the communication, terming the language used by the foreign official as undiplomatic. The committee had concluded that the communication amounted to blatant interference in the internal affairs of Pakistan by the country in question, which was unacceptable under any circumstances.