United States values longstanding cooperation with Pakistan: Jalina Porter

WASHINGTON, April 23 (SABAH): The United States has welcomed statement of National Security Committee (NSC) ruling out foreign conspiracy behind ouster of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led government from power.

Responding to a question at the daily news briefing in Washington, State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Jalina Porter said Islamabad is critical to Washington’s interests.

She underscores that United States values longstanding cooperation with Pakistan and has always viewed a strong, prosperous, and democratic Pakistan as critical to US interests.

Earlier on Friday, the National Security Committee of the Cabinet had concluded that no evidence of a “foreign conspiracy” to topple Imran Khan’s government had been found. However, it endorsed the decisions taken in its previous meeting.

In its last session, chaired by Imran Khan, the high-powered forum on March 31 had denounced as “unacceptable under any circumstances” what it called “blatant interference” in Pakistan’s internal affairs by an unnamed country. It had also decided that Pakistan would issue a strong demarche to the country in question which was followed through.

Friday’s meeting of the NSC – which was chaired by Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif – concluded that based on the input of security agencies as well as the former Pakistan ambassador to the US, no evidence of a foreign conspiracy had been found.

A statement issued by the PM Office said the NSC discussed a telegram received from Pakistan Embassy in Washington. The former Pakistan envoy to the US briefed the committee on the context and content of his telegram. The NSC, after examining the content of the communication, reaffirmed the decisions of its previous meeting.