ISLAMABAD: President Joe Biden has invited Pakistan to attend a two-day international “Summit of Democracies” being held on December 9-10 in Washington. Pakistan has yet to make up its mind for participation. Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood and spokesman Asem Iftikhar didn’t respond to a query about Pakistan’s decision of attending the summit. The diplomatic sources told The News Friday that Prime Minister Imran Khan could attend the summit virtually, but the final decision would be made early next week. Hectic consultations are underway in the Foreign Office on the subject, the sources pointed out.
The US president has extended invitation to 110 countries from various regions of the world, including Taiwan and India. According to the State Department, the summit will concentrate on the challenges and possibilities facing democracies and will give a forum for leaders to declare both individual and collective pledges, reforms, and efforts to safeguard democracy and human rights at home and abroad. The ‘Summit on Democracies’ will have three key themes, according to the US State Department. These would be, defending against authoritarianism, addressing and fighting corruption, and promoting respect for human rights.
