In Russia’s confrontation with Ukraine, the government has pledged to remain impartial.
Foreign diplomats who pressed Pakistan to adopt a UN resolution condemning Russia’s military strike on Ukraine were accused by Prime Minister Imran Khan of treating Pakistanis like “slaves.” Â
Khan responded to a March 1 letter from diplomats representing 22 embassies, including European Union countries as well as Japan, Switzerland, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia, calling for Pakistan to abandon its neutrality and join them in criticizing Moscow Â
“How do you feel about us?” “Are we your slaves… that we will do everything you say?” Khan said this before questioning EU ambassadors about if they had written “such a letter to India,” which is also impartial. Â
Pakistan abstained from voting on the UN resolution denouncing Russian “aggression against Ukraine” last week, along with 34 other countries. India, Bangladesh, China, Iran, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan, Pakistan’s neighbors, also abstained. Â
On February 24, the day Moscow commenced its military campaign in Ukraine, Khan met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin to discuss bilateral ties and regional issues. Â
Moscow claims the offensive was undertaken with the goal of “demilitarizing” and “degasifying” Ukraine, and that it was the only choice left to protect the people of eastern Ukraine after years of a brutal blockade that killed hundreds of people.
Kiev claims the offensive was unprovoked and that it has no intention of retaking the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Lugansk by force.
Edited by: Kiran Maharana
Published by: Vishakha Verma
