ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - According to The News, the U.S. has stated that it has no connections to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) protests taking place outside the White House in Washington, DC.
In a media interview, U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby dismissed the suggestion implied in a journalist's question that there was some link between PTI Chairman Imran Khan's removal and the protests in Washington and some American action.
"This is a domestic issue for the Pakistani people, and Pakistan's government can speak to it," he stated.
Kirby responded to a question about Pakistan supplying weapons to Ukraine by saying, "Let Pakistan speak for what it is doing for Ukraine."
He claimed that more than 50 countries were providing Ukraine with financial and moral support and weapons and that the U.S. was allowing them to speak for themselves.
"Some countries do not want much public attention on their assistance to Ukraine." So we respect it," Kirby said.
Kirby's comments on the alleged weapons sale came after the Foreign Office rejected a foreign media report alleging Pakistan was selling weapons to Ukraine in exchange for an IMF bailout package.
The Intercept, an online news organisation, claimed in a report that Islamabad was secretly selling arms to Kyiv as part of its deal with the Washington-based lender.
"These arms sales were intended to supply the Ukrainian military, forcing Pakistan to take a side in the Russia-Ukraine conflict," the report stated.
Responding to media inquiries about the false report, F.O. spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch categorically denied the story, calling it "baseless and fabricated."
"Pakistan and the IMF successfully negotiated the IMF Standby Arrangement for Pakistan to implement difficult but necessary economic reforms." According to the spokesperson, any other interpretation of these negotiations would be deceptive.
She added that Islamabad maintains a strict neutrality policy in the Ukraine-Russia conflict and does not provide them with arms or ammunition.
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