The Foreign Office Spokesperson on Tuesday said India was using fake news to run a ‘wider disinformation campaign’ against Pakistan, including over the appointment of Sardar Masood as envoy to the United States.
Spokesperson Asim Iftikhar Ahmad stated this in response to a question regarding the reports carried by Indian media on the government of to appoint Sardar Masood’s ambassador to the U.S.
“This is a part of the wider Indian disinformation campaign to malign Pakistan and those who represent Pakistan, by using fake news to make scandalous claims and baseless allegations,” he said.
Read more: Failure of Indian rhetoric to isolate Pakistan in the international community
The FO Spokesperson said that Ambassador Masood Khan was a highly accomplished diplomat with 40 years of experience in both multilateral and bilateral diplomacy.
“His Agreement is being processed in the U.S. system,” he said, regarding reports about delay in his approval by the U.S. administration.
The US interest in Pakistan has waned after it pulled out of Afghanistan. Moreover, Washington looks at ties with Pakistan from the prism of its strategic competition with China, although Islamabad has repeatedly said that it was not part of any camp politics.
Just in: US Congressman Scott Perry @RepScottPerry writes to US President Biden over appointment of Masood Khan as Pakistani envoy to US; Calls him a "terror sympathizer" who praised terror org/terrorists like Hizbul Mujahideen, Burhan Wani pic.twitter.com/fkZj8mSXSv
— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) January 31, 2022
Indian lobby in Washington is looking at the delay as an opportunity for itself and is trying to scuttle Mr Khan’s appointment on the pretext of his advocacy for the Kashmiri freedom struggle.
“While I’m encouraged that the State Department has reportedly placed a pause on approving Masood Khan as the new ambassador from Pakistan, a pause is not enough. I urge you to reject any diplomatic credentials presented to you by Masood Khan and reject any effort by the Government of Pakistan to install this jihadist as Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States,” Scott Perry, a congressman, wrote to President Biden.
Read more: Bangladesh & France against Indian media?
People in FO believe that the delay was because of Mr Khan’s last position as the president of AJK.
APP with additional input by GVS News Desk