Omar meets with recently ousted Pakistani PM Imran Khan to discuss Islamophobia

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) met with recently ousted Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan in Islamabad on her maiden visit to the country on Wednesday.

Omar, who is one of the few Muslim members of Congress, met the recently removed prime minister at his at his home in Islamabad’s Bani Gala district, where they discussed Islamophobia and related issues.

In a tweet shared by a member of Khan’s political party, PTI, Omar was quoted as expressing her “admiration” for the political leader and for “his position on and work against Islamophobia globally.”

The tweet added that Khan also “appreciated her courageous and principled position on issues.”

Their meeting comes just weeks after the leader, who was removed from his position via a no confidence motion, alleged that Pakistan’s opposition party’s no-confidence motion against him was the result of a “foreign conspiracy” because of his independent foreign policy.

Khan had previously alleged that Donald Lu, assistant secretary for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs at the Department of State, was involved in the “foreign conspiracy” to topple his government.

However, State Department principal deputy spokesperson Jalina Porter said at a press briefing in April that “there is absolutely no truth to the allegations.”

When asked about Khan’s claims, she said, “Let me just say very bluntly there is absolutely no truth to these allegations. Of course, we continue to follow these developments, and we respect and support Pakistan’s constitutional process and rule of law. But again, these allegations are absolutely not true.”

While in Pakistan, Omar also met with President Arif Alvi and newly appointed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

In a statement released after Omar’s meeting with Alvi, the government said, “Pakistan values its long standing relationship with the United States of America and expressed the hope that the constructive engagements between the two countries would promote peace and development in the region.”

Omar was quoted in the statement as saying “she appreciated the role played by Pakistan against Islamophobia, particularly towards the adoption of UN resolution in this regard.”

Sharif also praised Omar’s “courage of convictions and her political struggle” in a separate statement shortly after the meeting.