WASHINGTON: Donald Lu, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, has been summoned to appear before a congressional committee on the fairness of Pakistan’s general elections, which took place on February 8.
The hearing will take place on March 20, and Lu’s evidence will be significant because he has been charged by former Prime Minister Imran Khan of being complicit in the overthrow of his administration in 2022.
The hearing titled “Pakistan After the Elections: Examining the Future of Democracy in Pakistan and the US-Pakistan Relationship” will be held by the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia Subcommittee.
During a press briefing on Thursday, State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller responded to a question by emphasizing that many State Department personnel testify before Congress on a regular basis.
“We see it as an important part of our jobs to help Congress do its job, both from a policymaking perspective and from an oversight perspective,” Miller said in a statement.
He went on to say that the State Department always looks forward to both informal and formal interactions with Congress, as well as actual testimony by officials.
The hearing comes after political groups in Pakistan, notably the PTI, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F), claimed that the elections held on February 8 were rigged, with Imran Khan’s party saying that their mandate was stolen.
Since the February 8 elections, the PTI has been protesting and organizing protests to reclaim their mandate from the currently ruling government.
The election results were shocking because no single party received a majority to form a government, and at least 90 independent candidates sponsored by the PTI won. They later joined the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) to contest the seats allotted for female candidates and minorities.
In response to another question about Lu’s suspected role in the cipher dispute and his security worries, the spokeswoman stated that the charges against him are “false”.
