Zalmay Khalilzad posts another controversial tweet on Pakistani politics

Former United States Ambassador to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad, who has been dubbed as highly controversial figure who was blamed for messy withdrawal of the US from Afghanistan, Friday came up with another controversial tweet on Pakistani politics based on some conspiracy theories.

After, Imran Khan got relief from Supreme Court yesterday and Islamabad High Court today, Khalizad says there are “fragile signs of hope in Pakistan”.

“The Supreme Court decision yesterday and the Islamabad High Court’s today ordering Imran Khan’s release, and growing opposition within the military to the heavy-handed over-reach of some.”

In a Twitter thread, Khalizad also offered his two-step solution to “avert disaster” in Pakistan, which involves the army chief and elections.

There are fragile signs of hope in Pakistan: The Supreme Court decision yesterday and the Islamabad High Court's today ordering Imran Khan's release, and growing opposition within the military to the heavy-handed over-reach of some.
[Thread]#Pakistan #ImranKhanArrested

— Zalmay Khalilzad (@realZalmayMK) May 12, 2023

Earlier, Khalilzad had condemned the arrest of former premier Imran Khan in Urdu, Pashto and English.

The arrest of Imran Khan is deplorable and will have far-ranging consequences. I condemn it in the strongest terms.

The arrest of Imran Khan is deplorable and will have far-ranging consequences. I condemn it in the strongest terms.
[Thread]#Pakistan #ImranKhanArrest

— Zalmay Khalilzad (@realZalmayMK) May 9, 2023

The Pakistan Foreign Office (FO) had reacted strongly to Zalmay Khalilzad’s earlier suggestions, saying Pakistan did not need “unsolicited advice” on the challenges it faces.

Khalilzad, who had served as the special envoy for Afghan reconciliation under both the Trump and Biden administrations, said that Pakistan was “underperforming and falling far behind” India. “Pakistan faces a triple crisis: political, economic, and security. Despite great potential, it is underperforming and falling far behind its archrival, India. It is time for serious soul-searching, bold thinking, and strategising,” he had remarked on Tuesday night as law enforcers clashed with PTI supporters outside the home of ex-premier Imran Khan in Lahore.

“The sequential cannibalising of its (Pakistan’s) leaders through jailing, execution, assassination, etc is the wrong path,” Khalilzad said, adding that arresting PTI chief Imran would only “deepen the crisis”.

He proposed “two steps” to deal with the country’s challenges, the first being to set a date for general elections in early June to “avert a meltdown”.

Secondly, he called for using this time for the main political parties to “confront what has gone wrong and propose a specific plan to rescue and put the country on a path to stability, security, and prosperity”.

“Whichever party wins the election will have a mandate from the people on what must be done,” he said.