Senator Chris Van Hollen dismissed the impression that the United States was interfering in Pakistani politics as completely false, saying that Washington wanted a strong bilateral relationship with Islamabad.
Van Hollen, a Democrat senator from the state of Maryland, stressed that it was the power and will of the people of Pakistan to choose the leadership and the US interest was in free and fair elections in any democratic country, including Pakistan.
“I have had good relations with President Joe Biden for a long time and I am also in constant contact with the current White House administration,” Van Hollen said while speaking to journalists at an event organised by the Association of Physicians of Pakistani Descent of North America in Washington.
“And I can say with full confidence that there has been no political engineering in Pakistan,” the senator added.
Senator van Hollen further said that it was the power and the will of the people of Pakistan to choose the leadership. For that, he added, it was necessary that the elections were free and fair. “The interest of the United States is to ensure free and fair elections … in any democratic country, including Pakistan.”
The US senator also claimed that Washington played a very important role in ensuring that Pakistan received a loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). He expressed the hope that the cordial bilateral relationship would guarantee stability and security around the world.
Ambassador Masood Khan @Masood__Khan & Senator Chris Van Hollen @ChrisVanHollen attended the Annual Meeting & Gala Dinner of the DMV chapter of @APPNA as Chief Guests. A night of unity, achievements, & recognizing the valuable contributions of physicians of Pakistani descent.🇵🇰🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/eYGIzTQkUC
— Pakistan Embassy US (@PakinUSA) September 10, 2023
Senator van Hollen was the guest of honor at the event, which was also attended by Pakistan’s Ambassador Masood Khan. On the microblogging website, X, the ambassador tweeted that the event was recognised “the valuable contributions of physicians of Pakistani descent”.
