U.S. highlights violations February 8 general election in Pakistan and stated that the United States is committed to strengthening Democratic institutions in cash-strapped countries and cooperate to combat the threat of terrorism.

Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu will be a key witness before a congressional panel on Wednesday. The diplomat allegedly issued a warning to former Pakistan ambassador to the United States, Asad Majeed, which was the subject of a coded (secret diplomatic message) sent by the envoy to Islamabad. The meeting held a hearing titled “Pakistan after the Elections: Examining the Future of Pakistani Democracy and U.S.-Pakistan Relations.”

Imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan later used the same diplomatic communication to accuse the United States of plotting to overthrow his government in 2022.

The founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is on trial for mishandling the same confidential document.

In written testimony uploaded on Tuesday, Lew raised several questions about the two countries and the outlook for U.S. policy toward Pakistan.

He noted that the U.S. State Department issued a clear statement the day after Pakistan’s election last month, pointing out undue restrictions on freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly.

He said the State Department condemns electoral violence, restrictions on human rights and fundamental freedoms, attacks on media workers and restrictions on Internet and telecommunications services.

He said the committee was also concerned about allegations of interference in the electoral process and demanded that allegations of interference or fraud be fully investigated.

“We are particularly concerned about electoral abuse and violence that occurred in the weeks leading up to the election,” he said.

“First, terrorist groups target police, politicians and political rallies in attacks. Second, many journalists, especially female journalists, are harassed and abused by party supporters. Some political leaders are disadvantaged by their inability to register specific candidates and politicians Status. Party,” he said.

Lu also said that on the day of the election, an internationally renowned local poll monitoring agency said they were prohibited from observing vote counts in more than half of the country’s precincts.

“Despite a High Court directive not to disrupt internet services on election day, authorities shut down mobile data services, the main way Pakistanis access social media and messaging apps,” he said.

However, the assistant secretary of state also pointed to the positives in Pakistan’s election, saying: “Despite the threat of violence, more than 60 million Pakistanis voted, including more than 21 million women. Voters elected more female MPs than in 2018 That’s 50 percent more.” In addition to the record number of female candidates, a record number of members of religious and ethnic minority groups and young people are running for parliamentary seats. “

Pakistani voters have a choice, he said in his testimony.

“A range of political parties won seats in the national and provincial assemblies. Three different parties now lead Pakistan’s four provinces. More than 5,000 independent observers were on the ground. Their organization concluded that the conduct of the elections took place very slowly. It was largely competitive and orderly, while pointing out some irregularities in the compilation of results,” he said.

Declaring Pakistan an important partner, the senior official said the United States is jointly committed to strengthening the country’s democratic institutions, supporting the U.S.-Pakistan Green Alliance framework, cooperating to combat terrorist threats from groups such as Al-Qaeda and Daesh, and strengthening human rights protections. respect. rights, including religious freedom.

Lu said Washington plays a key role in promoting economic stability in Pakistan.

“During our 76-year partnership, we have been one of the most important investors in critical infrastructure. For example, the U.S. government is renovating the Mangla and Tarbela dams that provide electricity to tens of millions of Pakistanis.”

He said that over the past decades, the United States has provided support to Pakistan in the form of development grants, private sector investment and humanitarian assistance during times of greatest need, including recent catastrophic floods.

“Unfortunately, Pakistan is facing growing debt challenges after increased borrowing over the past decade, including from the People’s Republic of China,” he said, warning that nearly 70% of the federal government’s revenue this year is expected to be spent on to increase debt. payments to repay this massive debt.

Donald Lew said in his testimony that Pakistan needs economic reforms and private sector-led investment to bring economic growth to the Pakistani people rather than sinking the government deeper into debt.

accusations Ballot manipulation undermines Pakistan’s February 8 election.

While more than 90 independent candidates backed by Khan’s Pakistan People’s Party won the largest number of seats in the National Assembly, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) won the most seats in the National Assembly. Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto reached an agreement after the vote and formed a coalition government in the country.

Khan’s party says the new coalition government was formed by stealing its mandate.