#Pakistan Interior Minister's statement that "either Imran Khan exists or we do" is shocking and should be rejected by all God fearing and law abiding Pakistanis. It is an incitement to violence against a major political leader. The Prime Minister must publicly disassociate…
— Zalmay Khalilzad (@realZalmayMK) March 28, 2023
Interestingly, the US State Department has disassociated itself from Khalilzad’s statements on Pakistan’s deteriorating law and order situation, making it clear that former US envoy for Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, did not represent the nation’s foreign policy and was not speaking for the administration of President of Joe Biden.
Vedant Patel, a spokesperson of the State Department, made the statement in response to a query posed during a press briefing on Monday regarding Khalilzad’s recent comments on the volatile political situation in Pakistan.
Khalilzad, who previously served as the special envoy for Afghanistan reconciliation under both the Donald Trump and Biden administrations, had recently made a series of statements asserting that Pakistan was lagging behind arch-rival India and underperforming.