The US State Department has clarified that Deputy Secretary Donald Lu’s upcoming appearance before a congressional panel is routine testimony, consistent with the normal practice of US officials providing updates to Congress.
The House Subcommittee on the Middle East, Africa, and Central Asia will hold a March 20 hearing titled “Pakistan After the Election: Examining the Future of Democracy in Pakistan and US-Pakistani Relations.”
The hearing will also delve into the dynamics of US-Pakistan relations following the February 8 general election.
The PTI and its leader Imran claim that Lu threatened to destabilize the PTI government during a meeting with the then Pakistani ambassador to Washington Asad Majeed Khan in March 2022. The matter is frequently mentioned during US State Department intelligence briefings by journalists from both Pakistans. and the USA. The Ministry consistently refutes these claims as baseless.
Lu, the Under Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, is currently the only confirmed witness for the hearing, although other witnesses may be included.
“Any number of State Department officials testify before Congress all the time. We see it as an important part of our job to help Congress do its job, both from a policymaking perspective and from an oversight perspective,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said when asked about the planned hearing at a news conference Thursday.
“So we always look forward to the informal conversations that we have with Congress, the formal conversations, and of course the actual testimony that our officials will give,” he added.
Asked if the department was concerned about Luo’s safety during the hearing because of previous threats, Miller said, “Of course we take any threats against U.S. officials seriously and condemn any efforts to threaten the safety and security of our diplomats.”
The spokesman reiterated his rejection of the allegations against Lu regarding the ouster of former prime minister Imran Khan, saying: “The underlying allegations against Deputy Minister Lu are false. They were always fake. You’ve heard me say it more than once, more than twice, probably more than ten times.”
In a statement from Houston, Texas, PTI’s US affiliate claimed that “sustained efforts” by Pakistani-Americans led to the much-anticipated announcement of a Congressional hearing on the issue.
This bipartisan hearing is expected to draw a significant turnout from both Democratic and Republican lawmakers.
