Washington: Two influential Democratic lawmakers have urged Pakistan to condemn Russia’s ongoing military operations in Ukraine, saying they are disappointed with Islamabad’s decision to abstain from the UN General Assembly’s March 2 vote and Prime Minister Imran Khan’s maiden visit to Moscow.
In a letter to Pakistan’s Ambassador to the US Majeed Khan on Wednesday, Congressmen Ted W Lieu and Tom Malinowski said that Prime Minister Khan’s decision to proceed with his visit to Moscow in February ran counter to the international community’s efforts to reaffirm Ukraine’s territorial integrity and call out Russia as the aggressor.
Khan, ignoring the last-minute appeals and warnings from the West, reached Russia on February 23 on a two-day visit, the first by a Pakistani premier in over two decades, hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a special military operation against Ukraine.
Khan’s meeting with Putin on March 24 was the first face-to-face talks the Russian President had with a foreign leader since he ordered a special military operation against Ukraine.
In their letter, the two US Congressmen said that Khan’s decision to proceed with his visit to Moscow, at a moment when the world was uniting in support of Ukraine, ran counter to the international community’s efforts to reaffirm Ukraine’s territorial integrity and call out Russia as the aggressor.
“We are disappointed with your government’s decision to abstain from the UN General Assembly’s March 2 vote. We are also disappointed that Prime Minister Imran Khan announced bilateral trade agreements with Russia following its invasion of Ukraine,” they said.
On March 2, the 193-member UN General Assembly voted to reaffirm its commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders and “deplores in the strongest terms” Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
The resolution was adopted with 141 votes in favour, five member states voting against and 35 abstentions. The General Assembly broke into an applause as the resolution was adopted.
Pakistan, India and China were among 35 countries which abstained from voting on the resolution.
Pakistan’s ties with Russia have moved past the bitter Cold War hostilities in recent years and the chill in the relations between Pakistan and the US has further pushed the country towards Russia and China.
PTI