America said, ready to work with any Pakistani government
Washington, February 13 (Language) Amid rumors of horse-trading in the absence of a clear majority after the general elections in Pakistan, a State Department official on Monday said that the US is ready to work with any government that comes to power in Pakistan. Ready for. There is also a delay in declaring results across the country and all National Assembly seats.
Contrary to its earlier claim, the Election Commission of Pakistan on Monday blamed the suspension of internet and mobile services on February 8 – when nationwide voting took place – and said it “created hindrance” in declaring the results promptly.
It also claimed that the delay caused no harm to “any specific political party”.
US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters at his daily press conference, “I do not think that a new Pakistani government has been formed yet. I believe that discussions are still going on regarding the formation of the government. ” “But one thing we have said before the elections, and we will continue to make clear, is that we will work with whoever the Pakistani people choose to represent them,” he said.
As the National Assembly results showed, independent candidates supported by former Prime Minister Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) won 101 seats. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), led by another former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, got 75 seats.
Former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) won 54 seats, while Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) won 17 seats.
To form a government, a party must win 133 of the 265 seats contested in the National Assembly.
A US State Department spokesperson responded to questions on allegations of vote tampering in the elections, saying, “And as far as claims of fraud are concerned, we want to see them fully investigated.”
Miller said, “Let me just reiterate that we think the claims of fraud should be fully investigated. This was clearly a competitive election in which people were able to exercise their choice. Now, he “There were irregularities; we want to see them investigated. But ultimately, we respect the democratic process and we are ready to work with the government once it is formed,” he said, calling on the country’s democratic and political parties to participate in the elections. Also congratulated the Pakistani people, including election workers and observers, civil society members and journalists protecting the electoral institutions.
“We expressed concerns publicly – we also expressed those concerns privately and joined with the EU, the UK and other countries in doing so – in the process we saw some irregularities. We required the Pakistani government to Respect the wishes of the election,” Miller said.
“We have repeatedly stressed…that we want to see the rule of law, respect for the Constitution, a free press and a vibrant civil society before the elections. We believe this is the case. We condemn the political and election-related violence and restrictions on internet and cell phone service that had a negative impact on electoral services,” he added.
“The claims of interference and fraud that we have seen, we want to ensure that (they) are fully investigated by Pakistan’s legal system and we will continue to monitor this in the coming days,” he said.
According to Marvin Weinbaum, director of Afghanistan and Pakistan studies at the Middle East Institute think-tank, Pakistan will see the emergence of a weak and unstable governing coalition – unable to take the risks necessary to accomplish far-reaching policy changes. It is needed to deal with the rapidly growing economic, social and environmental problems of the country.
“Moreover, whichever faction – PTI or PML-N – sits in the opposition, most of its time will probably be devoted to harping on the alleged illegitimacy of the government and demanding fresh elections. If so, the 2024 national elections will be Pakistan’s “It could be another blight on an already dysfunctional democracy,” he said. PTI LKJ SZM
(This story is published as part of an auto-generated syndicated wire feed. No edits to the headline or body have been made by ABP Live.)