ISLAMABAD: The For­eign Office on Wednesday rejected a statement by a former US ambassador, saying Pakistan does not need “unsolicited advice”, Dawn.com reported.

The country “does not need lectures or unsolicited advice from anyone on how to cope with the challenges we face today,” the Foreign Office spokesperson said in a statement.

The statement came in response to a series of tw­­e­­ets posted by former US Spe­­cial Representative on Afghanistan Reconci­lia­tion Zalmay Khalilzad on Tuesday, suggesting “steps” for Pakistan to tackle a “triple crisis of political, economic, and security”.

The FO spokesperson said, “As a resilient nation, we will come out stronger from the present difficult situation.

Mr Khalilzad had said that arresting PTI Chair­man Imran Khan would only deepen the country’s political crisis, although the US State Department was still reluctant to comment on the situation.

Mr Khalilzad noted that Pakistan was facing a triple crisis: political, economic, and security. “Despite great potential, it is underperforming and falling far behind its archrival, India. It is time for serious soul-searching, bold thinking,” he wrote.

Mr Khalilzad reminded the Pakistani rulers that the “sequential cannibalising” of its leaders through jailing, execution and ass­assination was the wrong path. “Arresting Imran Khan will only deepen the crisis.”

He urged the Pakistani government to “set a date for national elections in early June to avert a meltdown”.

The former US special representative, who wor­ked closely with Pakistan on a peace deal with the Af­­ghan Taliban, also urg­ed main political parties to use the time between now and June to “confront what has gone wrong and propose a specific plan to rescue and put the country on a path to stability, security, and prosperity”.

He pointed out that whichever party “wins the election will have a mandate from the people on what must be done”.

Earlier on Monday, US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said the United States supports the peaceful upholding of democratic, constitutional, and legal principles around the world, adding: “of course that includes in Pakistan”.

But he did not offer comments on the current situation in the country.

Published in Dawn, March 16th, 2023