The United States said Thursday it is interested in taking necessary steps to continue to strengthen its relationship with Pakistan, as the South Asian country held a vote to determine its future.
While the picture is still cloudy because the results have yet to be released, the polling day was marred by suspicions of rigging by political parties, and to top it off, the caretaker administration opted to shut down cellular and internet services for most of the day.
“Our interest is in the democratic process, and we are interested in taking the necessary steps to continue to foster our relationship, our partnership with the Government of Pakistan, whatever it may be,” Vedant Patel, the US Department of State’s principal deputy spokesperson, said at a press conference in Washington.
Patel reaffirmed that Pakistan’s future leadership is up to the Pakistani people, and the American nation’s interest remains in the democratic process.
The State Department has faced harsh questions from journalists on Pakistan since April 2022, when the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was deposed, with then-Prime Minister Imran Khan saying that the US was behind his demise – a claim that American officials vehemently disputed.
In the run-up to Pakistan’s general elections, which were by far the largest the country has ever held, there were multiple incidences of violence in which candidates were killed, party workers were hurt, and property was destroyed.
As a response, Patel said: “We strongly condemn all instances of election-related violence, both in the weeks preceding elections as well as those that transpired on election day.”
He claimed that election-related violence harmed a wide range of political parties in Pakistan.
