The United States on Wednesday refuted allegations that its diplomat had issued a veiled threat to former prime minister Imran Khan in what proved to be his final month in power.
During the regular press briefing at the State Department on Wednesday, Spokesperson Matthew Miller was asked about the emergence of Azam Khan and a statement he recorded before a magistrate that a cipher had arrived from the Pakistani mission in Washington and that then-prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan had deemed it a blunder by the Americans and that it followed a similar statement issued by Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Elizabeth Horst about Donald Lu.
Responding to the query, Miller refuted the allegations.
"I don’t know how many times I can respond to this question from the podium and give the same answer, which is that these allegations, such as they are, are completely unfounded," he said.
READ MORE: Imran Khan Planned On Using US Cipher For Political Motives Against VONC
Asked that Federal Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah had suggested that the allegations could lead to Imran being charged with sedition, which carries the death sentence.
Miller simply responded by stating that "the US does not involve itself with domestic political questions, and we do not take sides on political parties in Pakistan or any other country," he said.
On Wednesday, Azam Khan, the top-most bureaucrat in the country under Imran Khan, reappeared after being missing for a month and recorded a statement before a civil magistrate in Islamabad in which he stated that Imran had deemed the alleged threat made by Donald Lu as a 'blunder' and that he had subsequently "misplaced" the PM Office copy of the cipher in contravention of the rules.
READ MORE: Imran Khan Says Will Only Believe Allegations When He Hears Straight From Azam Khan
Imran and his party, however, dismissed Azam's statement. The PTI chief stated that he would not believe anything until he personally heard it from Azam Khan.
His party, however, termed Azam's statement to be full of contradictions and raised several legal questions about it.
During the regular press briefing at the State Department on Wednesday, Spokesperson Matthew Miller was asked about the emergence of Azam Khan and a statement he recorded before a magistrate that a cipher had arrived from the Pakistani mission in Washington and that then-prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan had deemed it a blunder by the Americans and that it followed a similar statement issued by Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Elizabeth Horst about Donald Lu.
Responding to the query, Miller refuted the allegations.
"I don’t know how many times I can respond to this question from the podium and give the same answer, which is that these allegations, such as they are, are completely unfounded," he said.
READ MORE: Imran Khan Planned On Using US Cipher For Political Motives Against VONC
Asked that Federal Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah had suggested that the allegations could lead to Imran being charged with sedition, which carries the death sentence.
Miller simply responded by stating that "the US does not involve itself with domestic political questions, and we do not take sides on political parties in Pakistan or any other country," he said.
On Wednesday, Azam Khan, the top-most bureaucrat in the country under Imran Khan, reappeared after being missing for a month and recorded a statement before a civil magistrate in Islamabad in which he stated that Imran had deemed the alleged threat made by Donald Lu as a 'blunder' and that he had subsequently "misplaced" the PM Office copy of the cipher in contravention of the rules.
READ MORE: Imran Khan Says Will Only Believe Allegations When He Hears Straight From Azam Khan
Imran and his party, however, dismissed Azam's statement. The PTI chief stated that he would not believe anything until he personally heard it from Azam Khan.
His party, however, termed Azam's statement to be full of contradictions and raised several legal questions about it.