WASHINGTON , June 7, 2023: US State Department principal deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel on Tuesday asked the government of Pakistan to provide consular access to Khadija Shah — the prime suspect in the attack on the corps commander’s house. Ms Shah is also an American citizen.
“I believe Ms Shah is a dual national, and so we continue to engage directly with the Government of Pakistan on this,” the State Department spokesperson added.
Khadija Shah was arrested on May 23 in a case of attacking the Jinnah House, and sent to judicial lockup for identification parade.
Briefing the newsmen in Washington, Patel said: “The United States values its long standing cooperation with Pakistan. We have always viewed a prosperous and democratic Pakistan critical to US interests and that remains unchanged.”
Responding to a question regarding allegations of a “foreign conspiracy” plotted in Washington to overthrow the previous government in Pakistan, he said that there is no truth to these allegations.
“These allegations are categorically false, he said and added that Pakistani politics are a matter for the people of Pakistani to decide and for them to pursue within the auspices of their own constitution and laws.”
The deputy spokesman once again refused to publicly comment on the current political situation in Pakistan, saying we [The US] of course wants to see a prosperous and stable Pakistan because it’s in the interest of US-Pakistan relations.