Jamat-e-Islami (JI) chief Siraj-ul-Haq demands expulsion of US envoy until Biden apologises over anti-Pak remark

ISLAMABAD: Siraj-ul-Haq, chief of the Jamat-e-Islami (JI), has demanded the Pakistan government to immediately expel the American Ambassador in Islamabad, Donald Blome, until US President Joe Biden apologises for saying that Pakistan "may be one of the most dangerous nation in the world".

While addressing a Democratic congressional campaign committee reception, the President had said: "And what I think is maybe one of the most dangerous nations in the world: Pakistan. Nuclear weapons without any cohesion." The statement has sparked anger in Pakistan after the White House published its transcript officially.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, former premier Imran Khan have lashed out at Biden over raising questions and concerns about Pakistan's nuclear security, emphasizing that Islamabad is a responsible nuclear state.

"Let me reiterate unequivocally: Pakistan is a responsible nuclear state and we are proud that our nuclear assets have the best safeguards as per IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) requirements. We take these safety measures with the utmost seriousness. Let no one have any doubts," Sharif said.

The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) also separately responded to the US President's statement, rejecting the remarks and terming them as "factually incorrect and misleading".

"Over the past decades, Pakistan has proven to be the most responsible nuclear state, where its nuclear programme is managed through a technically sound and foolproof command and control system," the PMO said in a statement.

Also in response, the Foreign Office issued a strong demarche to the American envoy after summoning Blome.

However, the JI chief is not happy with the way the government has responded and slammed it for "being slaves to the Americans" and not standing up for the country's integrity as a nuclear state.

"The PTI (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf) and the PDM (Pakistan Democratic Movement) were pawns of the international establishment and they only followed their orders.

"It was the incompetence of the rulers and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) slavery that the 220 million population of the country was gripped by crises," he said in a statement. (IANS)

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