ISLAMABAD — Pakistan on Saturday summoned
the US ambassador for an explanation after
President Joe Biden described the
South Asian country as “one of the most dangerous nations in the world” and
questioned its nuclear weapons safety protocols.
اضافة اعلان
Biden made the apparently off-the-cuff remark late
Thursday while talking about US foreign policy during a private Democratic
Party fundraiser in California, but the
White House later published a
transcript of his comments, which sparked outrage in Pakistan.
Washington’s relations with Pakistan have soured
since last year, when the US ended a two-decade war in Afghanistan.
Pakistan provided crucial logistical access, but US
officials believe Islamabad’s powerful military and intelligence apparatus also
aided the Taliban, who swept back to power as foreign troops pulled out.
Biden was speaking about his frequent interactions
with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, when he said: “Did anybody think we’d be in a
situation where China is trying to figure out its role relative to Russia and
relative to India and relative to Pakistan?
“This is a guy who understands what he wants but has
an enormous, enormous array of problems. How do we handle that? How do we
handle that relative to what’s going on in Russia?
“And what I think is maybe one of the most dangerous
nations in the world: Pakistan. Nuclear weapons without any cohesion.”
Hours after the transcript of his address was
posted, Pakistan summoned the US ambassador Donald Blome to the foreign office
in Islamabad.
Room to maneuver
“I have discussed it with
the prime minister, and we have summoned the ambassador of the US ... for an
official demarche,” Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said
during a press conference in Karachi.
“I am surprised by the remarks of President Biden. I
believe this is exactly the sort of misunderstanding that is created when there
is lack of an engagement.”
Later, Prime Minister
Shehbaz Sharif tweeted that
Pakistan was a “responsible nuclear state”.
“We are proud that our nuclear assets have the best
safeguards. ... We take these safety measures with the utmost seriousness. Let
no one have any doubts,” he said.
The foreign minister also appeared to offer
Washington some room to maneuver diplomatically away from Biden’s remarks.
“It was not an official function, it was not an
address to the nation or an address to the parliament,” he said.
“We should allow them an opportunity to explain this
position. I don’t believe that this should negatively impact the relations
between Pakistan and the US.”
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