ISLAMABAD: The Russian Embassy in Islamabad announced that it is “closely following” developments in Pakistan, including political events and court decisions.
“However, we believe that it is up to the Pakistani people to react to and comment on these developments,” the embassy stated in a post on X on Tuesday.
The post did not specify any context, but some users in the comments linked it to former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s legal battle, while others were “astonished” to see such a statement from the Russian embassy’s official social media account.
It is worth noting that Russia accused the United States of interfering in Pakistan’s internal affairs when Khan was ousted from office in 2022. A spokesperson for the Russian foreign ministry alleged that the US punished Khan for his “disobedience” after his visit to the Kremlin.
The Embassy of Russia in Pakistan also urged people to follow only its official social media pages for accurate information.
“Please note that the official pages of the Embassy of Russia on social media platforms are the only credible source of information on our Ambassador’s engagements and activities,” it stated.
On Monday, Khan and his party leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi received significant relief when the Islamabad High Court acquitted them in the case of allegedly leaking state secrets.
The cipher case involves a diplomatic document that reportedly went missing from Khan’s possession. The PTI claims that the document contained a threat from the United States to oust Imran Khan from office due to his stance on Russia.
The US administration has denied these allegations. Khan later retracted his claims and blamed the former army chief for his removal from office.
Additionally, the case concerning reserved seats is currently before the Supreme Court, which has adjourned the matter until June 24. The Sunni Ittehad Council, now home to PTI-backed candidates, is seeking the allocation of reserved seats in assemblies for women and minorities.
I am an experienced writer, analyst, and author. My exposure in English journalism spans more than 28 years. In the past, I have been working with daily The Muslim (Lahore Bureau), daily Business Recorder (Lahore/Islamabad Bureaus), Daily Times, Islamabad, daily The Nation (Lahore and Karachi). With daily The Nation, I have served as Resident Editor, Karachi. Since 2009, I have been working as a Freelance Writer/Editor for American organizations.
