Pakistan
Top Pakistan court hears arguments in major political crisis
Pakistan's top court began hearing arguments Monday on whether Prime Minister Imran Khan and his allies had the legal right to dissolve parliament and set the stage for early elections.
The opposition is challenging the latest moves by Khan, a former cricket start turned conservative Islamist leader who came to power in 2018, contending they are a ploy by Khan to stay in power.
The Supreme Court started hearing arguments on Monday both from Khan's legal team and his allies, and also the opposition, but then adjourned the session until noon Tuesday.
There was no immediate explanation for the adjournment and it was also unclear when a ruling would come. Muslim-majority Pakistan is observing the holy month of Ramadan, when the faithful fast from dawn to dusk.
Also read: Pakistan's top court to rule on PM dissolving parliament
On Sunday, Khan’s ally and Pakistan’s deputy parliament speaker, Qasim Suri, dissolved the assembly to sidestep a no-confidence vote that Khan appeared certain to lose. The opposition claims the deputy speaker had no constitutional authority to throw out the no-confidence vote.
The developments marked the latest in an escalating dispute between Khan and the opposition, which has been backed by defectors from the prime minister's own party, Tehreek-e-Insaf or Justice Party, and a former coalition partner, the Muttahida Quami Movement, which had joined opposition ranks. The opposition claims it had the numbers to oust Khan in parliament. It has also accused him of economic mismanagement.
The current political conundrum is in many ways unchartered territory, even for Pakistan, where successive governments have been overthrown by a powerful military and others ousted before their term ended.
The most significant decision before the Supreme Court is whether Suri, the deputy speaker, had the constitutional authority to throw out the no-confidence vote, according to constitutional lawyer Ali Zafar.
Also read: Pakistan president dissolves Parliament at PM’s request
Zafar told The Associated Press that the court also has to decide whether it even has the authority to rule on this matter. Khan's party insists actions of a parliament speaker are privileged and cannot be challenged in court.
If the court rules the deputy speaker was out of line, the parliament will reconvene and hold the no-confidence vote on Khan, legal experts say. If the court upholds the latest actions, Pakistan is heading into early elections.
The opposition says it has the 172 votes in the 342-seat assembly to oust Khan. After Suri on Sunday threw out the no-confidence motion, information minister and another Khan ally, Fawad Chaudhry, accused the opposition of plotting "regime change" with the backing of the United States.
Pakistan’s powerful military — which has directly ruled the country for more than half of its 75-year history — has remained silent through much of the political infighting.
However, Army Chief Qamar Javed Bajwa on Sunday distanced the military from allegations of a U.S.-backed conspiracy, saying Pakistan wants good relations with both China and the U.S., Pakistan's largest trading partner.
Khan, an outspoken critic of Washington’s war on terror and Pakistan’s partnership in that war, claims the U.S. wants him gone because of his foreign policy choices and for refusing to distance Pakistan from China and Russia.
“We support the peaceful upholding of constitutional democratic principles. That is the case in Pakistan. It is the case around the world," said U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price about Pakistan and allegations of U.S. attempts to oust Khan. "We do not support one political party over another; we support the broader principles, the principles of rule of law, of equal justice under the law.”
However, Michael Kugelman, deputy director of the Asia Program at the Wilson Center, sees the latest political wrangling as just another “part of a recurring pattern in Pakistan of governments undermining the democratic process to maintain their hold on power. ”
It underscores a deeply polarized society, Kugelman added. While Khan's supporters may think dissolving parliament was a “stroke of genius" to avoid a no confidence vote, his critics “think he has acted recklessly and essentially pulled off a legal coup, plunging the country into a constitutional crisis.”
Separately, Pakistani President Arif Alvi, another Khan ally, was ignoring Monday's deliberations before the Supreme Court and was forging ahead with preparations for an interim government that would see Pakistan through elections. Under the constitution, Khan would remain prime minister until the appointment of a caretaker premier, Alvi said in a tweet.
Pakistan's top court to rule on PM dissolving parliament
With Pakistan in political turmoil, the country's Supreme Court is to convene Monday to hear arguments and later rule on whether Prime Minister Imran Khan and his allies had the legal right to dissolve parliament and set the stage for early elections.
The opposition is challenging the latest moves by Khan, a former cricket start turned conservative Islamist leader who came to power in 2018, as a ploy to stay on as prime minister. It has also accused him of economic mismanagement.
On Sunday, Khan’s ally and Pakistan’s deputy parliament speaker, Qasim Suri, dissolved the assembly to sidestep a no-confidence vote that Khan appeared certain to lose. The opposition claims the deputy speaker had no constitutional authority to throw out the no-confidence vote.
Read:Pakistan president dissolves Parliament at PM’s request
The developments marked the latest in an escalating dispute between Khan and the opposition, which has been backed by defectors from the prime minister's own party, Tehreek-e-Insaf or Justice Party, and a former coalition partner, the Muttahida Quami Movement, which had joined opposition ranks. The opposition claims it had the numbers to oust Khan in parliament.
The current political conundrum is in many ways unchartered territory, even for Pakistan, where successive governments have been overthrown by a powerful military and others prematurely ousted before their term ended.
The most significant decision before the Supreme Court is whether Suri, the deputy speaker, had the constitutional authority to throw out the no-confidence vote, according to constitutional lawyer Ali Zafar.
Zafar told The Associated Press that the court also has to decide whether it even has the authority to rule on this matter. Khan's party insists actions of a parliament speaker are privileged and cannot be challenged in court.
If the court rules the deputy speaker was out of line, the parliament will reconvene and hold the no-confidence vote on Khan, legal experts say. If the court upholds the latest actions, Pakistan is heading into early elections.
The opposition says it has the 172 votes in the 342-seat assembly to oust Khan. After Suri on Sunday threw out the no-confidence motion, information minister and another Khan ally, Fawad Chaudhry, accused the opposition of plotting "regime change" with the backing of the United States.
Pakistan’s powerful military — which has directly ruled the country for more than half of its 75-year history — has remained silent through much of the political infighting.
However Army Chief Qamar Javed Bajwa on Sunday distanced the military from allegations of a U.S.-backed conspiracy, saying Pakistan wants good relations with both China and the U.S., Pakistan's largest trading partner.
Khan, an outspoken critic of Washington’s war on terror and Pakistan’s partnership in that war, claims the U.S. wants him gone because of his foreign policy choices and for refusing to distance Pakistan from China and Russia.
Read:Pakistan's PM sidesteps challenge, seeks fresh elections
However, Michael Kugelman, deputy director of the Asia Program at the Wilson Center, sees the latest political wrangling as just another “part of a recurring pattern in Pakistan of governments undermining the democratic process to maintain their hold on power. ”
It underscores a deeply polarized society, Kugelman added. While Khan's supporters may think dissolving parliament was a “stroke of genius" to avoid a no confidence vote, his critics “think he has acted recklessly and essentially pulled off a legal coup, plunging the country into a constitutional crisis.”
Pakistan president dissolves Parliament at PM’s request
Pakistan’s president dissolved Parliament on Sunday setting the stage for early elections after the prime minister sidestepped a no-confidence move earlier in the day.
Imran Khan asked President Arif Alvi to dissolve the National Assembly, or law-making lower house of Parliament, accusing his political opposition of working with the United States to overthrow his government.
Pakistan’s constitution calls for the establishment of an interim government to see the country toward elections, which are to be held within 90 days.
Khan’s political opponents have called a decision by the Parliament’s deputy speaker to throw out their no-confidence resolution illegal and vowed to go to the Supreme Court.
The battle between Khan, a cricket star turned conservative Islamic leader, and his political opposition has mired the nation in political turmoil.
Read:Pakistan's PM sidesteps challenge, seeks fresh elections
Pakistan’s embattled Prime Minister Imran Khan said Sunday he will seek early elections after sidestepping a no-confidence challenge and alleging that a conspiracy to topple his government had failed.
The deputy speaker of Pakistan’s Parliament threw out the opposition parties’ no-confidence resolution and abruptly ended the session. Minutes later, Khan went on national television to say he will ask Pakistan’s president to dissolve Parliament and call early elections.
The developments came after Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry accused the opposition of colluding with a “foreign power” to stage a “regime change.”
“I ask people to prepare for the next elections. Thank God, a conspiracy to topple the government has failed,” Khan said in his address.
The opposition, which said it would stage a protest sit-in in Parliament, called the deputy speaker’s ruling throwing out the no-confidence vote illegal and vowed to go to Pakistan’s Supreme Court.
The opposition arrived in Parliament ready to vote Khan out of power. They needed a simple majority of 172 votes in Pakistan’s 342-seat Parliament to unseat Khan, a cricket star turned conservative Islamic politician. Khan’s small but key coalition partners along with 17 of his own party members joined the opposition to oust him.
The no-confidence vote had been expected some time after Parliament convened Sunday but parliamentary rules allow for three to seven days of debate. The opposition had said it has the numbers for an immediate vote.
Giant metal containers blocked roads and entrances to the capital’s diplomatic enclave and to Parliament and other sensitive government installations in the capital. A defiant Khan called for supporters to stage demonstrations countrywide to protest the vote.
Khan has accused the opposition of being in cahoots with the United States to unseat him, saying America wants him gone over his foreign policy choices that often favor China and Russia. Khan has also been a strident opponent of America’s war on terror and Pakistan’s partnership in that war with Washington.
Khan has circulated a memo which he insists provides proof that Washington conspired with Pakistan’s opposition to unseat him because America wants “me, personally, gone ... and everything would be forgiven.”
A loss for Khan would have given his opponents the opportunity to form a new government and rule until elections, which had been scheduled to be held next year.
Residents of Pakistan’s largest province Punjab were set to vote Sunday for a new chief minister. Khan’s choice faced a tough challenge and his opponents claimed they had enough votes to install their choice.
Pakistan's PM sidesteps challenge, seeks fresh elections
Pakistan’s embattled Prime Minister Imran Khan said Sunday he will seek early elections after sidestepping a no-confidence challenge and alleging that a conspiracy to topple his government had failed.
The deputy speaker of Pakistan's Parliament threw out the opposition parties' no-confidence resolution and abruptly ended the session. Minutes later, Khan went on national television to say he will ask Pakistan's president to dissolve Parliament and call early elections.
The developments came after Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry accused the opposition of colluding with a “foreign power” to stage a “regime change.”
“I ask people to prepare for the next elections. Thank God, a conspiracy to topple the government has failed,” Khan said in his address.
The opposition, which said it would stage a protest sit-in in Parliament, called the deputy speaker's ruling throwing out the no-confidence vote illegal and vowed to go to Pakistan's Supreme Court.
The opposition arrived in Parliament ready to vote Khan out of power. They needed a simple majority of 172 votes in Pakistan's 342-seat Parliament to unseat Khan, a cricket star turned conservative Islamic politician. Khan's small but key coalition partners along with 17 of his own party members joined the opposition to oust him.
The no-confidence vote had been expected some time after Parliament convened Sunday but parliamentary rules allow for three to seven days of debate. The opposition had said it has the numbers for an immediate vote.
Giant metal containers blocked roads and entrances to the capital's diplomatic enclave and to Parliament and other sensitive government installations in the capital. A defiant Khan called for supporters to stage demonstrations countrywide to protest the vote.
Khan has accused the opposition of being in cahoots with the United States to unseat him, saying America wants him gone over his foreign policy choices that often favor China and Russia. Khan has also been a strident opponent of America’s war on terror and Pakistan’s partnership in that war with Washington.
Khan has circulated a memo which he insists provides proof that Washington conspired with Pakistan's opposition to unseat him because America wants “me, personally, gone ... and everything would be forgiven.”
READ: Pakistan's PM faces tough challenge with no-confidence vote
A loss for Khan would have given his opponents the opportunity to form a new government and rule until elections, which had been scheduled to be held next year.
Residents of Pakistan’s largest province Punjab were set to vote Sunday for a new chief minister. Khan's choice faced a tough challenge and his opponents claimed they had enough votes to install their choice.
With 60% of Pakistan's 220 million people living in Punjab, it is considered the most powerful of the country's four provinces. Also on Sunday the government announced the dismissal of the provincial governor, whose role is largely ceremonial and is chosen by the federal government. But it further deepened the political turmoil in Pakistan.
Pakistan's main opposition parties, whose ideologies span the spectrum from left to right to radically religious, have been rallying for Khan's ouster almost since he was elected in 2018.
Khan's win was mired in controversy amid widespread accusations that Pakistan's powerful army helped his Pakistan Tehreek Insaf (Justice) Party to victory.
Asfandyar Mir, a senior expert with the Washington-based U.S. Institute of Peace, said the military's involvement in the 2018 polls undermined Khan's legitimacy from the outset.
“The movement against Imran Khan’s government is inseparable from his controversial rise to power in the 2018 election, which was manipulated by the army to push Khan over the line,” said Mir. “That really undermined the legitimacy of the electoral exercise and created the grounds for the current turmoil. ”
Pakistan's military has directly ruled Pakistan for more than half of its 75-year history, overthrowing successive democratically elected governments. For the remainder of that time it has indirectly manipulated elected governments from the sidelines.
The opposition has also accused Khan of economic mismanagement, blaming him for rising prices and high inflation. Still, Khan's government is credited with maintaining a foreign reserve account of $18 billion and bringing in a record $29 billion last year from overseas Pakistanis.
Khan's anti-corruption reputation is credited with encouraging expatriate Pakistanis to send money home. His government has also received international praise for its handling of the COVID-19 crisis and implementing so-called “smart lockdowns” rather than countrywide shutdowns. As a result, several of Pakistan's key industries, such as construction, have survived.
Khan's leadership style has often been criticized as confrontational.
“Khan’s biggest failing has been his insistence on remaining a partisan leader to the bitter end,” said Michael Kugelman, deputy director of the Asia Program at the Washington-based Wilson Center.
READ: Imran to skip Biden's democracy summit
“He hasn’t been willing to extend a hand across the aisle to his rivals,” said Kugelman. “He’s remained stubborn and unwilling to make important compromises. As a result, he’s burned too many bridges at a moment when he badly needs all the help he can get.”
Khan’s insistence there is U.S. involvement in attempts to oust him exploits a deep-seated mistrust among many in Pakistan of U.S. intentions, particularly following 9/11, said Mir.
Washington has often berated Pakistan for doing too little to fight Islamic militants even as thousands of Pakistanis have died in militant attacks and the army has lost more than 5,000 soldiers. Pakistan has been attacked for aiding Taliban insurgents while also being asked to bring them to the peace table.
“The fact that it has such easy traction in Pakistan speaks to some of the damage U.S. foreign policy has done in the post 9/11 era in general and in Pakistan in particular,” said Mir. “There is a reservoir of anti-American sentiment in the country, which can be instrumentalized easily by politicians like Khan.”
Pakistan's PM faces tough challenge with no-confidence vote
Pakistan’s embattled prime minister faces a no-confidence vote in Parliament on Sunday and the opposition says it has the numbers to win after Imran Khan's allies and partners in a fragile coalition abandoned him.
The opposition needs a simple majority of 172 votes in Pakistan's 342-seat Parliament to unseat Khan, a cricket star turned conservative Islamic politician. Khan's small but key coalition partners along with 17 of his own party members have joined the opposition to oust him.
The vote is expected to be held Sunday after Parliament is scheduled to convene at 11:30 a.m. (0630 GMT), but Pakistan's Parliamentary rules allow for three to seven days of debate. The opposition says it has the numbers for an immediate vote, but Khan's party could force a delay.
On Sunday, giant metal containers blocked roads and entrances to the capital's diplomatic enclave and to Parliament and other sensitive government installations in the capital. A defiant Khan called for supporters to stage demonstrations countrywide to protest the vote.
Khan has accused the opposition of being in cahoots with the United States to unseat him, saying America wants him gone over his foreign policy choices that often favor China and Russia. Khan has also been a strident opponent of America’s war on terror and Pakistan’s partnership in that war with Washington.
READ: Pakistan's parliament adjourns debate on embattled premier
Khan has circulated a memo which he insists provides proof that Washington conspired with Pakistan's opposition to unseat him because America wants “me, personally, gone ... and everything would be forgiven.”
A loss for Khan would give his opponents the opportunity to form a new government and rule until elections, which are scheduled to be held next year. The opposition could also choose to call early elections.
Pakistan's main opposition parties, whose ideologies span the spectrum from left to right to radically religious, have been rallying for Khan's ouster almost since he was elected in 2018.
Khan's win was mired in controversy amid widespread accusations that Pakistan's powerful army helped his Pakistan Tehreek Insaf (Justice) Party to an election win.
Asfandyar Mir, a senior expert with the Washington-based U.S. Institute of Peace, said the military's involvement in the 2018 polls undermined Khan's legitimacy from the outset.
“The movement against Imran Khan’s government is inseparable from his controversial rise to power in the 2018 election, which was manipulated by the army to push Khan over the line,” said Mir. “That really undermined the legitimacy of the electoral exercise and created the grounds for the current turmoil. ”
Pakistan's military has directly ruled Pakistan for more than half of its 75-year history, overthrowing successive democratically elected governments. For the remainder of that time it has indirectly manipulated elected governments from the sidelines.
READ: Pakistan to work with Afghanistan, other neighbors to combat terrorism: army chief
The opposition has also accused Khan of economic mismanagement, blaming him for rising prices and high inflation. Still, Khan's government is credited with maintaining a foreign reserve account of $18 billion and bringing in a record $29 billion last year from overseas Pakistanis.
Khan's anti-corruption reputation is credited with encouraging expatriate Pakistanis to send money home. His government has also received international praise for its handling of the COVID-19 crisis and implementing so-called “smart lockdowns” rather than countrywide shutdowns. As a result, several of Pakistan's key industries, such as construction, have survived.
Khan's leadership style has often been criticized as confrontational.
“Khan’s biggest failing has been his insistence on remaining a partisan leader to the bitter end,” said Michael Kugelman, deputy director of the Asia Program at the Washington-based Wilson Center.
“He hasn’t been willing to extend a hand across the aisle to his rivals,” said Kugelman. “He’s remained stubborn and unwilling to make important compromises. As a result, he’s burned too many bridges at a moment when he badly needs all the help he can get.”
Khan’s insistence there is U.S. involvement in attempts to oust him exploits a deep-seated mistrust among many in Pakistan of U.S. intentions, particularly following 9/11, said Mir.
Washington has often berated Pakistan for doing too little to fight Islamic militants even as thousands of Pakistanis have died in militant attacks and the army has lost more than 5,000 soldiers. Pakistan has been attacked for aiding Taliban insurgents while also being asked to bring them to the peace table.
“The fact that it has such easy traction in Pakistan speaks to some of the damage U.S. foreign policy has done in the post 9/11 era in general and in Pakistan in particular,” said Mir. “There is a reservoir of anti-American sentiment in the country, which can be instrumentalized easily by politicians like Khan.”
Pakistan to work with Afghanistan, other neighbors to combat terrorism: army chief
Pakistan is working with the Afghan caretaker government and other neighbors to ensure that terrorist groups are no longer allowed to use the territory of one country against another, Pakistani Chief of Army Staff Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa said on Saturday.
"We are committed to preserving our gains against terrorism and a peaceful and prosperous West and South Asia is our goal," Bajwa said at the Islamabad Security Dialogue.
He said the conflict in Afghanistan for decades has created negative externalities and spillover effects, which have adversely impacted Pakistan's economy, society and security, adding that Pakistan continues to work closely with the international community to pursue peace and stability in Afghanistan.
The army chief said it is the collective responsibility of the international community towards the people of Afghanistan to ensure that timely and adequate humanitarian aid flows into the country.
Instead of imposing sanctions which have never worked, the world must incentivize Afghans for their positive behavioral change, he added.
READ: Pakistan's parliament adjourns debate on embattled premier
"Unfortunately, lack of financial flows and continued sanctions are creating a humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan," he said at the two-day security dialogue.
Pakistan believes that peace and stability in the wider region are prerequisites for achieving shared regional prosperity and development, the army chief said.
Regarding Pakistan-U.S. relations, Bajwa said Pakistan wants to strengthen ties with the United States, but not at the cost of others.
"Pakistan is positioning itself as a melting pot for a positive global economic interest through our focus on connectivity, development and friendship," he said.
Pakistan's parliament adjourns debate on embattled premier
Pakistan’s parliament on Thursday adjourned a debate on the political survival of Prime Minister Imran Khan after the opposition had called for a no-confidence vote on the embattled premier.
Besieged by the opposition and abandoned by coalition partners, Khan faces the greatest challenge so far in his political career. The opposition accuses him of economic mismanagement and claims he is unfit for the role of prime minister.
There was no immediate explanation for the adjournment of Thursday's session, which was postponed within minutes of opening. Parliament was to reconvene on Sunday to begin the debate.
The actual vote on Khan, who was to address the nation later Thursday, was expected in three to seven days after the start of the debate.
Also read: Allies abandon Pakistani premier ahead of no-confidence vote
Analysts have predicted that Khan would be ousted after a series of defections appear to have given his political opponents the 172 votes in the 342-seat house to push him out.
Khan came to power in 2018, promising to rid Pakistan of corruption even as he partnered with some of the country's tainted old guard. He called them ‘electables’ — necessary to win elections because their wealth and vast land holdings guaranteed votes in large swaths of the country.
A former international cricket star turned politician, Khan has espoused a more conservative brand of Islam. He has also kept company with radical clerics, including Maulana Tariq Jameel, who once said that women in short skirts had caused the COVID-19 epidemic.
Still, Khan is credited with building the country's foreign reserves, now over $18 billion. Remittances from Pakistanis living overseas was a whopping $29 billion in 2021, despite the economic downturn caused by the pandemic.
Khan's reputation for fighting corruption has encouraged Pakistanis to send money home and he has also cracked down on the unofficial money transfer system, known as Hawala. However, the opposition blames him for high inflation and a weak Pakistani rupee.
Also read: Imran to skip Biden's democracy summit
His handling of the coronavirus pandemic brought him international praise. His implementation of so-called “smart” lockdowns that targeted heavily infected areas — rather than a nationwide shutdown — kept some of the country’s key industries such as construction afloat.
On Thursday, the leader of a key opposition party, Bilawal Bhutto, urged Khan to resign. “You have lost. . . You have only one option: Resign,” Bhutto said.
In recent days, Khan has turned to conspiracy theories to explain the challenge to his rule and has gone on national television to claim the opposition is in cahoots with a foreign government — a reference to the United States — to unseat him.
Khan's often-stated opposition to Washington's so-called 'war in terror" as well as the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan has brought him popularity at home.
He has tried to reach out to Afghanistan's new Taliban rulers, fostered close ties to China and Russia and abstained from the U.N. Security Council vote condemning Russian for invading Ukraine.
Madiha Afzal, a fellow at the Washington-based Brookings Institution blamed Khan’s political woes on his confrontational style and a cooling of relations between him and the powerful military, widely reported to have assisted Khan’s election victory in 2018.
Pakistan’s army has been the country's de facto ruler more than half of its 75-year history — even when governments are democratically elected, the military maintains considerable control from behind the scenes, despite their claims of neutrality.
In a Brookings Institution podcast, Afzal said it’s rare for a Pakistani political leader to finish his term. “This is part of a much larger, longer cycle that reflects on Pakistan’s built-in political instability," she said.
“Essentially, opposition parties don’t wait for elections to occur, for the previous party to be voted out, or for the prime ministers to be ousted from power,” Afzal added. “While the military says that it is neutral in this situation, in this political crisis, what many read that as saying is that the military has basically withdrawn its support from Khan.”
Allies abandon Pakistani premier ahead of no-confidence vote
Lawmakers appeared poised to push Prime Minister Imran Khan out of power in an upcoming no-confidence vote, after a small but key coalition partner abandoned him and joined the opposition on Wednesday.
The Muttahida Qaumi Movement has only five seats, but their move puts the number of Khan’s opponents in parliament at well over the 172 needed to oust him in the vote, to be held sometime next week.
Read: Imran Khan visits Sri Lanka as Muslims demand burial rights
It seemed likely to be the terminal blow to Khan, who already faces a revolt by a dozen lawmakers from his own Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party who’ve publicly pledged to vote against him.
Nasreen Jalil, a leader of the MQM party, announced the decision to reporters early Wednesday.
Khan, who came to power in 2018 by getting 176 votes of the 342-seat National Assembly, or lower house of parliament, was expected to address the nation Wednesday night.
Pakistan greets Bangladesh on its Independence Day
The foreign minister of Pakistan has greeted Bangladesh on its Independence and National Day.
"It gives me immense pleasure to convey sincere felicitations to the Government and people of Bangladesh on the 51st anniversary of the People's Republic of Bangladesh," Pakistan Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi said.
Read:Independence Day celebrated in Washington
He said this in a letter to Bangladesh foreign minister AK Abdul Momen on March 26, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs here on Sunday.
"I am confident that the bonds of friendship between our two countries, which are based on shared history, common faith and spirit of good neighborliness, would be further strengthened in the years ahead," Qureshi wrote.
Pakistan collapses to 100-7 in 2nd test against Australia
Pakistan collapsed to 100-7 at tea against Mitchell Starc’s searing pace in reply to Australia's mammoth 556-9 declared on the third day of the second test on Monday.
Starc picked up 3-24 in a superb spell of left-arm fast bowling which included the wickets of Azhar Ali and Fawad Alam off successive deliveries.
Pakistan lost six wickets in the middle session for only 62 runs and still needs 257 runs to avoid the follow-on.
Also read: Australia rattle 505-8 against Pakistan in 2nd Test
Home captain Babar Azam was unbeaten on 29 with Hasan Ali yet to score. Babar survived a close lbw referral against Pat Cummins before he had scored.
Australia made early inroads when leg-spinner Mitchell Swepson ran out Abdullah Shafique before lunch.
Nathan Lyon then ignited the collapse immediately after lunch when Imam-ul-Haq played a terrible shot and holed out to mid-on before Starc ran through the middle order.
Azhar played away from his body and Cameron Green took an edge in the slips while Alam was out plumb lbw following a vicious yorker. Rizwan Ali was beaten off the hat-trick ball before eventually succumbing to Cummins.
Much like the first test, off-spinner Lyon came into the attack early and the occasional delivery by him and debutant Swepson turned off a slow wicket.
Earlier, Cummins (34 not out) helped add a rapid 51 runs after Australia resumed its first innings on 505-8.
Also read: Can’t express my feelings in words: Nigar Sultana after historic win against Pakistan
Despite losing Starc (28) to the second ball, which gave Shaheen Afridi his first wicket, Cummins and Swepson (15 not out) scored freely against spinners Sajid Khan and Nauman Ali.
Cummins lofted two sixes off left-armer Nauman, who ended up with 1-134 from 48 overs. Sajid took 2-167 from 57 overs.