US says Pakistani people will decide about their future leadership in elections

The US State Department has said that Pakistan’s future leadership is for the Pakistani people to decide while underscoring the importance of free media in healthy democracies, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Friday.

During a press briefing on Thursday, State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel while replying to a question about elections in Pakistan said: “Pakistan’s future leadership is for the Pakistani people to decide. Our interest continues to be in the democratic process. We also have not been ambiguous about how we feel very strongly that a free and independent media are vital institutions that undergird healthy democracies by ensuring that an electorate can make informed decisions and hold the government to account. We believe journalists play a critical role in covering fair and transparent elections.

“We also continue to be concerned by any report that may be out there of restrictions on freedom of expression, freedom of association and the press. That would be – those kinds of things, we believe, are at odds with Pakistani authorities’ self-stated goal of a fully fair and transparent election.”

https://twitter.com/StateDeputySpox/status/1750575509363474831

To another question related to the Iranian foreign minister’s visit to Pakistan, the spokesperson said: “That is, of course, for Pakistani authorities and their foreign affairs officials to determine. But should any country around the world be interested in continuing to call on Iran to cease its malign and destabilizing activities, its activities that particularly in the Red Sea are making international waterways and legitimate commerce unsafe, we’d welcome any country continuing to press Iran to curb its support for those kinds of actions.”

The spokesperson eschewed any comment on a question related to the Pakistani foreign secretary’s claim made in a presser yesterday that India was involved in transnational killings in Pakistan after Canada and the U.S.

“I’m not aware of this specific report and I would let our – the Government of Pakistan and the Government of India speak more about this,” Patel said.