Candidates loyal to jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan lead (File)
Washington:
The United States on Friday questioned “undue restrictions” on Pakistan’s electoral process and expressed concern about allegations of fraud but pledged to work with those forming the next government.
Candidates loyal to jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan are leading as vote counting drags on after Thursday’s election.
His Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has performed better than expected despite a crackdown on the party, but after a period of political struggle, the next government is still likely to be led by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) ) to form a trade.
U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Washington looks forward to “timely and complete results that reflect the will of the people of Pakistan” and listed U.S. concerns about the process.
“We worked with credible international and local election observers to assess that these elections included undue restrictions on the freedoms of speech, association, and peaceful assembly,” Miller said in a statement.
“We condemn electoral violence … and are concerned about allegations of interference in the electoral process. Allegations of interference or fraud should be fully investigated.”
Miller noted, however, that President Joe Biden’s administration is “ready to work with the next Pakistani administration, regardless of political party, to advance our mutual interests,” including trade, investment and security cooperation.
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