The Foreign Office has stated that Pakistan has contacted the U.S. administration regarding Asif Raza Merchant and is awaiting their response and details.
During the weekly press briefing in Islamabad, Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said that Pakistan rejects all reports implicating Pakistan in the recent events in Bangladesh, stating that such reports reflect India’s obsession.
She mentioned that Pakistan’s High Commissioner in Bangladesh is in contact with Pakistani students, and that 100 students are still present in Bangladesh, where the security situation is improving.
Mumtaz Zahra Baloch also responded to questions, stating that reports of Pakistan supplying the Shaheen-III missile to Iran are false and constitute fake news.
She noted that in the context of events in the Middle East and the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, the Iranian Foreign Minister had contacted Ishaq Dar, and Pakistan condemns the killing of Ismail Haniyeh.
The spokesperson further clarified that Pakistan does not have any trade relations with Israel and invited the general public to see that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has raised its voice for the Kashmir cause on every platform.
Mumtaz Zahra Baloch reiterated that Pakistan has contacted the U.S. administration regarding Asif Raza Merchant and is awaiting their response and details.
It is noteworthy that the previous day, U.S. State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller stated that Washington had not discussed with Islamabad the alleged involvement of Asif Merchant in an Iranian plot to assassinate U.S. politicians and government officials.
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Earlier, the Foreign Office spokesperson had mentioned that they had seen media reports regarding Asif Merchant and were in contact with U.S. authorities regarding the arrest of the Asif Merchant.
It is important to note that two days ago, a U.S. court charged Asif Merchant with allegedly conspiring to assassinate U.S. politicians and government officials.
FBI Director Christopher Wray stated that this dangerous plot, involving hired assassins, was allegedly devised by a Pakistani citizen with close ties to Iran.
The assassination plot was to be executed by 46-year-old Pakistani citizen Asif Merchant during the last week of August or the first week of September.
U.S. media claimed that one of Merchant’s targets was Donald Trump, but the White House has denied that Asif Merchant was involved in an attack on Donald Trump.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Merchant’s plan included stealing documents from a target’s home, organizing protests at rallies, and assassinating a politician or government official.
Documents revealed that the accused was a resident of Karachi with alleged ties to Tehran. Merchant told investigators that he had a wife and children in Iran and a separate family in Pakistan.
Asif Merchant had paid $5,000 in advance to the attackers, which he had obtained with the help of someone living abroad. He had also arranged a flight and planned to leave the U.S. on July 12, but he was arrested before he could leave the country.