The US State Department addressed recent claims made by an American-based news organisation regarding a diplomatic cipher related to the leadership of Pakistan.

While the Department refrained from directly commenting on the veracity of the claims, it emphasised that the content of the alleged diplomatic message did not indicate any endorsement or opposition to a specific leader in Pakistan.

He stated, “I can’t speak to whether it is an actual Pakistani document or not. With respect to the comments that were reported, I’m not going to speak to private diplomatic exchanges other than to say that, even if those comments were accurate as reported, they in no way show the United States taking a position on who the leader of Pakistan ought to be.”

Miller highlighted the principle of maintaining a neutral stance on internal leadership decisions of foreign nations, asserting that the United States respects Pakistan’s sovereignty in this regard.

He recalled previous instances where the US has expressed its concerns privately to the Pakistani government, in line with the consistent policy of addressing sensitive matters through diplomatic channels.

“We express concern privately to the Government of Pakistan, as we express concern publicly, about the visit of then-Prime Minister to Moscow on the very day of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. We made that concern quite clear,” Miller reiterated, underscoring the US commitment to candid communication.

In a response that underscored the strategic partnership between the two nations, Miller highlighted the multifaceted collaboration between the US and Pakistan. “We deeply value our relationship with Pakistan, including our relationship with respect to counterterrorism. We have supported Pakistan through a number of pieces of assistance to help with counterterrorism, with other law enforcement activities, and we’ll continue to do so,” he assured.

Turning to the domestic political landscape of Pakistan, Miller emphasized the United States’ hands-off approach. “We continue to believe that these are matters for the Pakistani people to decide. Our bottom-line principle is that we continue to call for the respect of democratic principles, human rights, and the rule of law in Pakistan, as we do around the world,” he asserted.

Sanaullah deems report as sinister

Meanwhile, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah rejecting report claim on Twitter penned that “Though there is nothing new in this story, the investigation needs to held to establish the authenticity of the information or source document.”

He went on to sau that potentially, it is a very sinister, treacherous, and seditious act.

Taking a swipe at Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan he said “It should not be forgotten that Imran Khan Niazi had a copy of the cypher, which he has not returned and has accepted (on record) that he misplaced or lost it.”

“If proven guilty, Khan should be tried under the Official Secret Act,” added Sanaullah.