Political engagements of western diplomats gear up ahead of polls

ISLAMABAD: The top Western diplomats, stationed in Islamabad, particularly the Americans and British, have geared up their engagements with the political leadership ahead of the February 8 general elections in the country.

As the February 8 general election approaches, the US Ambassador to Pakistan Donald Blome and British High Commissioner Jane Marriott intensified their political engagements aimed at emphasizing “timely, inclusive, and peaceful” elections in the country.

According to the acting spokesperson of the US Mission Thomas Montgomery, in the course of his engagements with a broad range of Pakistani political stakeholders, the US Ambassador Donald Blome met with Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari to discuss current political issues, including the importance of “free, fair, and inclusive elections”.

He added that Ambassador Blome also discussed with the PPP chairman the strength of the Pakistan-US trade and investment relationship and the development of the US-Pakistan “Green Alliance” framework.

Previously, Ambassador Blome had held meetings with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Quaid Nawaz Sharif in November in Lahore and PPP’s senior leader Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani in Multan, and Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) founder Jahangir Khan Tareen.

According to diplomatic sources, the High Commissioner Jane Marriott also held several meetings with various political leaders from different political parties in Pakistan across Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachi, as part of “routine engagement”.

During the last few days, she met Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan in Islamabad, and various other leaders in Karachi, including Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA), and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P).

In Lahore, the British High Commissioner met PML-N Quaid Nawaz Sharif on Monday and exchanged views on matters of mutual interest, including the forthcoming general elections.

The sources said that the British High Commissioner will also be meeting with leaders from the IPP, Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) and leaders from other political parties in the coming weeks.

They said that in her meetings, she discussed a range of issues including Pakistan-UK relations, the economy, and the importance of “timely, inclusive, and peaceful” elections.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024