Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch on Thursday dismissed speculations that US president-elect Donald Trump would try to “influence or pressurise Pakistan’s internal politics”.

Republican candidate Trump on Wednesday triumphed in a stunning US election victory over Democrat rival Kamala Harris.

Soon after Trump started his election campaign for the 2024 race, unsubstantiated reports began circulating on social media, stating that if Trump were to win the US presidential election, it would bring favourable outcomes for Imran Khan and US-Pakistan relations.

However, senior PTI leader and former central spokesman, Raoof Hassan, has asserted that no one in the party had ever thought that Imran would be released if Trump won the US elections. Calling the narrative “mere propaganda”, Hassan said that Khan’s release would only materialise after the PTI sat across the table and held dialogue with the powerful establishment in the country.

During a weekly press briefing of the foreign ministry on Thursday, Baloch was asked whether Trump, after becoming the president, would influence Pakistan’s internal politics and whether the Pakistan government would possibly be pressurised by his administration.

“We see this as speculative reporting, and as I just said, Pakistan and the United States are old friends and partners, and we will continue to pursue our relations on the basis of mutual respect, mutual confidence and non-interference in each other’s domestic affairs,” Baloch responded.

She went on to say that Pakistan’s relations with the US were decades old and the country was looking forward to further strengthening and broadening the relationship in all fields.

“As the deputy prime minister said in a tweet yesterday, we look forward to fruitful and mutually beneficial cooperation between Pakistan and the United States.”

Pakistan and the United States established diplomatic relations on August 15, 1947, making the US one of the first nations to recognise Pakistan. The two countries have had a multi-faceted relationship for decades in areas ranging from counter-terrorism to energy to trade and investment.

The US approach towards Pakistan has been called largely “paradoxical” due to varying US interests in the region. While the countries have continued to foster bilateral ties, the constant ups and downs reflect that their relations remain unpredictable when it comes to serving national interests.

In September, US President Joe Biden emphasised that an enduring partnership between Pakistan and the United States was crucial for global and regional stability.

“The enduring partnership between our countries is crucial for global and regional stability,” Biden said in his brief remarks, commending US-Pakistan cooperation in countering terrorism and stressing the importance of building on their shared interests in security, trade, investment, and economic growth.

FO concerned for Kashmiri leader’s deteriorating health

The spokesperson also expressed concern over the deteriorating health of imprisoned Kashmiri leader Muhammad Yasin Malik — former chief of Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) sentenced to life imprisonment by an Indian court last year — who went on a hunger strike last week.

Malik had refused to accept a government-appointed lawyer or to defend himself against the charges.

The 57-year-old is a chronic heart patient who requires lifelong anticoagulants and regular INR testing following a heart valve replacement surgery in 1992.

During the press briefing today, the FO spokesperson said, “We are concerned about the reports of deteriorating health of Kashmiri leader Yasin Malik as he observes a hunger strike in protest for the poor conditions and insufficient medical care in New Delhi’s Tihar jail.”

“After being framed in fictitious cases, Malik remains incarcerated for the last several years and is facing a death sentence,” she stated urging “Indian authorities to provide quality medical care to Malik and immediately release him.”

Baloch reiterated Pakistan’s “political, diplomatic and moral support to Kashmiri brothers and sisters for the just and peaceful settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions.”

Earlier this week, JKLF expressed deep concern over the deteriorating health of its imprisoned chairman stating that he had been unjustly targeted by the Modi-led government.

Second Arab-Islamic Summit

FO announced that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will visit Saudi Arabia to participate in the second joint Arab-Islamic Summit in Riyadh on November 11.

“The summit is being convened at the initiative of the government of Saudi Arabia to discuss the situation in the Middle East,” the spokesperson said.

Baloch stated that heads of states, governments, and senior officials from the Arab League and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation member countries are expected to participate in the summit.

“At the summit, the PM will reiterate Pakistan’s full support to the Palestinian cause,” calling for an immediate end to the “genocide in Gaza” and “ongoing Israeli adventurism in the region that is endangering the security of the countries in the Middle East.”

COP 29 visit

PM will visit Baku, Azerbaijan to participate in the World Leaders Climate Action Summit at COP 29 taking place on Nov 12 to 13, FO spokesperson stated.

“As part of the 29th UN climate change conference, the PM will be accompanied by foreign minister Ishaq Dar, other cabinet members and senior officials,” Baloch said.

She added, “PM will make a robust call for climate solidarity and climate justice based on the established principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities.”

Gaza

FO welcomed United Nations Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese’s latest report which called out Israel for “a systematic agenda of forced displacement, annihilation and genocide” in Gaza and the West Bank.

According to Baloch, the report highlights how “Israel has been committing genocide against the Palestinian people through acts of territorial expansion and ethnic cleansing.”

While endorsing Albanese’s stance on Israel obstructing international investigation efforts, the FO spokesperson affirmed Pakistan’s support in urging the international community to act “in bringing an end to Israel’s unbridled atrocity against the Palestinians and ensure unhindered humanitarian assistance to Gaza and full financing and protection of United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA)”.

Baloch said, “Pakistan calls for an immediate secession of hostilities in Gaza, Palestine and Lebanon, protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, and unhindered humanitarian access and health care to those in urgent need.”