WASHINGTON: Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu has noted irregularities in the February 8 polls and reaffirmed the US commitment to strengthening Pakistan’s democratic institutions.
Today (Wednesday), Lu will appear before a Congressional panel that has set a hearing on Pakistan.
The House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee has announced a hearing titled ‘Pakistan After the Elections: Examining the Future of Democracy in Pakistan and the US-Pakistan Relationship,’ with the assistant secretary serving as a key witness.
In his written testimony, which the subcommittee posted on its website on Tuesday, Lu emphasized a variety of issues involving the two countries as well as what US policy in Pakistan may entail.
He said that the State Department released a clear statement the day after Pakistan’s general elections last month, highlighting disproportionate restrictions on freedoms of expression, association, and peaceful assembly.
According to Lu, the department criticized electoral violence, limits on human rights and basic freedoms, attacks on journalists, and restrictions on access to the internet and telecommunications services.
They also voiced concern over allegations of election interference and requested that such claims be thoroughly probed, he said.
