Cipher calls conspiracies lies, election irregularities should be probed: Donald Lowe

  

Cipher calls conspiracies lies, election irregularities should be probed: Donald Lowe

US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Donald Lowe appeared before the House of Representatives Committee.

  A subcommittee of the US House of Representatives' Cmmittee on Foreign Affairs is holding a hearing today on Pakistan's elections, the future of democracy and Pakistan-US relations.

During the hearing, Donald Lowe said that many political leaders could not participate freely in the recent elections in Pakistan. He also mentioned the mistreatment of women during the elections. There should be a thorough investigation into election interference or fraud. There is also concern over internet shutdowns during elections in Pakistan. Incidents of ill-treatment of journalists were also reported in the election.

Donald Lowe said that three major parties emerged as a result of these elections and this time there was a record of participation of women and minorities in the electoral process.

Donald Lowe said that during the general elections, several leaders could not register their political parties and several c

Donald Lowe is the same US State Department official who was accused by Imran Khan of threatening the then Pakistani ambassador Asad Majeed Khan during a meeting in Washington in March 2022 not to topple the PTI government. So Pakistan will have to suffer serious consequences.

Donald Lowe told the committee that for the past several decades, the relationship between Pakistan and the United States has been based on aid from the United States. This year, 70 percent of Pakistan's budget will go to debt repayment, which is a matter of concern for Pakistan.

In response to a question, he said that Pakistan was affected by the war in Afghanistan for 20 years. Now Pakistan needs stability and strong economy. What we need to see is how America can improve Pakistan's economy now.

The Assistant Foreign Minister was asked that Imran Khan's allegation that America has a role in bringing down his government, is it true? On this, he said that the accusation of calling the cipher an American conspiracy is completely false. We respect the sovereignty of Pakistan.

He said that "Pakistani Ambassador Asad Majeed himself has confirmed that the allegation of Cipher is a lie."

In response to a question about Pakistan's economy, Donald Lowe said that "America has many types of investment in Pakistan." Many American companies and franchises are operating there. The revival of Pakistan's economy is also beneficial for the United States. America wants to expand these economic ties, but red tape (bureaucratic issues) is a big obstacle for us there. Pakistan should make reforms in this regard.

Slogans were also raised in favor of Imran Khan during the meeting of the House of Representatives Committee (Photo: Screen Grab).

 

Slogans of 'Free Imran Khan' and 'We Need Imran Khan' were also raised during the committee meeting. Meanwhile, the head of the committee directed to maintain order and said that we respect your opinion but whoever violates the rules will be thrown out.

Should America trust Pakistan's judiciary? In response to this question, Donald Lowe said that in the past in Pakistan, elections were held again in the constituencies in which there were allegations of rigging. I hope that these allegations will be investigated this time too.

When a female member of the House of Representatives asked a question about women's rights in Pakistan, Donald Lowe said, "My own wife met in Pakistan and she was working on the issue of gender violence." If they were here, they could tell better. Only Pakistanis can provide better opportunities and environment for women. I have seen that women in Pakistan are coming forward in various fields including politics and business, which is a very promising aspect.

In the Pakistani economy, women are not running big businesses, but they are contributing to small businesses.

In response to a question about Afghanistan, Donald Lowe said that "it is true that the past governments of Pakistan have had close relations with the Taliban, but at present the relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan are strained."

The case of X (Twitter) closure in Pakistan;

Donald Lowe said that the US is talking at the highest level about banning Twitter in Pakistan. Pakistan is seeing restrictions on social media and X (Twitter) has been banned for several weeks. Pakistanis are being deprived of the right to know the news due to restrictions on Twitter.

Federal Information Minister's reaction

Federal Minister of Information of Pakistan Ata Tarar held a press conference in Islamabad regarding Donald Lowe's statements in the US House of Representatives Committee.

Atta Tarar said that "Donald Lowe said today that the Cipher story is a lie."

He said that PTI hired lobbying firms and held the hearing of the committee. Today you are disgraced in front of the whole world. Today, milk has become milk and water has become water.

"Donald Lowe said that in many places in Pakistan, Americans are more empowered than women."

 

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