Pakistan snubs US invite to democracy summit

ISLAMABAD – Pakistan has turned down the US invitation for participation in the Summit for Democracy, being held virtually on 9-10 December 2021, saying the South Asian country “can engage on this subject at an opportune time in the future”.

The Foreign Office in a statement thanked the US for extending the invitation. “Pakistan is a large functional democracy with an independent judiciary, vibrant civil society, and a free media.

"We remain deeply committed to further deepening democracy, fighting corruption, and protecting and promoting human rights of all citizens. In recent years, Pakistan has instituted wide-ranging reforms aimed at advancing these goals. These reforms have yielded positive results,” the official statement read.

Islamabad says it values its partnership with the US and wishes to expand both bilaterally as well as in terms of regional and international cooperation.

“We remain in contact with the US on a range of issues and believe that we can engage on this subject at an opportune time in the future,” the statement added.

Pakistan will, meanwhile, continue to support all efforts aimed towards strengthening dialogue, constructive engagement, and international cooperation for the advancement of our shared goals.