Pakistan declines US democracy summit invitation

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan has decided to skip the summit on democracy being convened by US President Joe Biden on December 9 and 10.

The Biden administration has invited leaders from over 100 countries. Pakistan was among only four countries from South Asia that were invited to the summit. Others include India, Maldives and Nepal.

China and Russia were excluded from the invitees while Taiwan was extended the invitation, drawing a strong reaction from Beijing.

The announcement was made by the Foreign Office on Wednesday after days of in-house consultations. No reason was cited in the official handout of virtually snubbing the US invite.

"We are thankful to the US for inviting Pakistan for participation in the Summit for Democracy, being held virtually on 9-10 December 2021," Foreign Office said in a statement.

"Pakistan is a large functional democracy with an independent judiciary, vibrant civil society, and a free media. We remain deeply committed to further deepening democracy, fighting corruption, and protecting and promoting human rights of all citizens. In recent years, Pakistan has instituted wide-ranging reforms aimed at advancing these goals. These reforms have yielded positive results," the handout read.

The statement went on to emphasise that Pakistan values its partnership with the US which it wishes to expand both bilaterally as well as in terms of regional and international cooperation.

"We remain in contact with the US on a range of issues and believe that we can engage on this subject at an opportune time in the future," said while politely rejecting the US invitation.

"Pakistan will, meanwhile, continue to support all efforts aimed towards strengthening dialogue, constructive engagement, and international cooperation for the advancement of our shared goals," the statement concluded.