Pakistan(National Times)- In response to an \u201congoing troll campaign\u201d accusing PPP Senator Sherry Rehman of misusing US funds received by the Jinnah Institute (JI), the lawmaker\u2019s office rebuffed the allegations in a detailed statement on X. The controversy arose after a tweet by former US diplomat and US President-elect Donald Trump\u2019s nominee as envoy for special missions Richard Grenell, who claimed Rehman had been \u201cexposed\u201d for receiving funds from the National Endowment for Democracy (NED).\u00a0 Grenell on X (formerly Twitter) backed the allegations that Rehman received nearly half a million dollars from the NED, saying: \u201cWhat a waste of US taxpayer money. Sherry has been exposed.\u201d The senator\u2019s office on X handle (@SRehmanOffice) responded swiftly, categorically denying the allegations in a series of posts. The team clarified that Rehman had neither accused Grenell of lobbying nor suggested impropriety in his actions. Instead, they emphasised the importance of awaiting an institutional response, stating, \u201cThere is nothing to \u2018expose.\u2019\u201d The statement also stressed Jinnah Institute\u2019s long-standing commitment to transparency and rigorous financial oversight. \u201cWhat exactly does \u2018exposed\u2019 imply? Nothing has been \u2018hidden\u2019. Jinnah Institute has a history of due diligence, transparency, audited accounts with distinguished donors. None of it implies \u2018exposure\u2019 or any effort to cover anything,\u201d they noted. \u201cShe has never even drawn a salary from JI,\u201d the statement added. Rehman\u2019s team highlighted her extensive career as a journalist, diplomat, and parliamentarian, during which she has consistently upheld principles of transparency and democratic governance. \u201cShe [Sherry Rehman] has always been a proponent of good relations between the two countries. Irrespective of who is in power in either country,\u201d the statement added. The Jinnah Institute is recognised as a think tank dedicated to promoting democratic values, regional stability, and progressive policy dialogues in Pakistan. Grenell\u2019s remarks come amidst rising tensions in US-Pakistan relations, with his recent statements aligning with calls for the release of Pakistan Tehreek-e-insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan.\u00a0 The PTI party has welcomed Grenell\u2019s comments, while the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has emphasised the importance of respecting Pakistan\u2019s sovereignty.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Pakistan(National Times)- In response to an \u201congoing troll campaign\u201d accusing PPP Senator Sherry Rehman of misusing US funds received by the Jinnah Institute (JI), the lawmaker\u2019s office rebuffed the allegations in a detailed statement on X. The controversy arose after a tweet by former US diplomat and US President-elect Donald Trump\u2019s nominee as envoy for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":96023,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-95996","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n