US Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel - Photo Twitter

 

US Seeks Consular Access to Khadija Shah

Washington, DC: Principal Deputy Spokesperson for the US Department of State Vedant Patel said on Tuesday 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 had 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.

When asked about former army chief general (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa manipulating the US to oust the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairperson, Vedant stated that the “allegations” were “categorically false”.

He maintained that Pakistani politics were "a matter for the Pakistani people to decide".

“These allegations are categorically false; you have heard me say this before. Pakistani politics are a matter for the Pakistani people to decide and for them to pursue within the auspices of their own Constitution and laws,” he said, adding that the US valued its longstanding cooperation with Pakistan.

He further said that Washington viewed a prosperous and democratic Pakistan as critical to US interests, which “remained unchanged”. – The Express Tribune